


The Lay of Leithian

by joanofarcstan



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Drama in Nargothrond, Epic Poetry, F/M, Gen, Screenplay/Script Format, Tags will be added by chapter, Unrequited Love, celegorm is an idiot in love, curufin is a scheming little bitch, curufin's a+ critical thinking/foresight skills, daeron and his, luthien gets betrayed yet again--this time by the scheming little bitch, the quest for the silmaril
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25035901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joanofarcstan/pseuds/joanofarcstan
Summary: "Since then the two have grown to loveAmid the melting frost,But love between an Elven maidAnd mortal has a cost."The tale of Beren, son of Barahir, and Lúthien Tinúviel, fairest of all elven maidens, retold in poetry/script format.
Relationships: Beren Erchamion & Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Beren Erchamion/Lúthien Tinúviel, Celegorm | Turcafinwë & Curufin | Curufinwë, Celegorm | Turcafinwë & Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Celegorm | Turcafinwë/Lúthien Tinúviel (one-sided), Curufin | Curufinwë & Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Daeron & Lúthien Tinúviel, Daeron/Lúthien Tinúviel (one-sided), Edrahil & Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Elu Thingol | Elwë Singollo/Melian, Finrod Felagund | Findaráto & Sauron | Mairon, Orodreth | Artaresto & Curufin | Curufinwë
Comments: 32
Kudos: 14





	1. Canto I

[NARRATOR]  
Let us begin our journey here  
In woods beneath the stars,  
Where Melian's enchantments ward  
'Gainst dangers from afar.  
Let us observe in Doriath  
Where Elu Thingol reigns,  
Our Elven maiden and her love  
Beneath the gentle rains.  
They met right here, some months ago,  
One misty night in spring,  
Where he had wandered in despair  
And stopped to hear her sing.  
Since then the two have grown to love  
Amid the melting frost,  
But love between an Elven maid  
And mortal has a cost.

[LÚTHIEN]  
My love! the fire of my heart,  
Let's to my father go,  
And for his blessing ask as we  
Should have done long ago.

[BEREN]  
Tinúviel, Tinúviel,  
I don't know that we should,  
For how can you be sure that he  
Won't throw me out for good?  
For I've no land, nor wealth, nor fame,  
Nor immortality;  
While you've all that both here and in  
The lands across the Sea.  
My love for you is true, I swear;  
You are my only dawn,  
But will your father know this truth  
Or would he have me gone?

[LÚTHIEN]  
For us, the Children of the Stars,  
There only burns one flame;  
There only ever is one spring  
That puts all else to shame.  
There is no other I shall love  
For now or e'er than you;  
My father can't refuse our love  
If he knows it is true.

[NARRATOR]  
We walk the paths of Doriath  
And come to Thingol's court  
Where Lúthien shall her father ask  
To lend them his support  
For such a union of two souls  
That never has before  
Come into being, for their fates  
Lie not on kindred shores,  
For Elves are bound to Arda Marred  
Until the Judgment Day,  
While Men beyond the Circles of  
The World do pass away.  
So come they now to Menegroth,  
Where Thingol shall decide  
To keep the peace 'twixt Elven realms  
Or break it for his pride.

[THINGOL] ( _to Lúthien_ )  
Ah! Daughter, you look radiant!  
Tell me what brings such joy  
To you, who have of late spent much  
Time in your own employ.  
( _to Beren, visibly angry_ )  
And who are you that you might break  
The Girdle 'round these lands?  
What spies and thralls has Morgoth sent  
To do work of his hands?

[BEREN] ( _angered in turn_ )  
I am no spy nor thrall of him;  
Such names I have not earned.  
I wear the ring of Felagund  
Won when the highlands burned  
By Barahir my father bold  
And bravest of his folk;  
My house has never earned such names  
As those that you just spoke.  
(calming slightly)  
I come for no one but myself,  
And of demands I've none,  
But that I may—

[LÚTHIEN] ( _silencing Beren_ )  
I met him in  
The woods where shines the sun.  
His name is Beren, from the north  
Which Morgoth overran,  
And after still did guard the lands  
Tho' he was but a man,  
Against all Angband's evil might  
Till slain were all those left,  
The Outlaws of Dorthonion,  
Thus leaving him bereft.

[MELIAN]  
So he it is whose doom shall bring  
The Fall of Doriath,  
For it was not within my pow'r  
To block him from the path  
That leads him into Menegroth  
And then to lands beyond,  
To wake the curse that long has slept  
But stirs in Nargothrond.

[BEREN]  
I fear I do not understand  
What means my lady fair—

[THINGOL] ( _to Melian_ )  
So he it is who you foretold  
Would bring us to despair?

[LÚTHIEN] ( _forcefully_ )  
And he it is that brings me joy  
And sun-warmth to my days,  
For I have seen the only dawn  
Upon which I shall gaze.

[BEREN]  
And I have felt the glowing spark  
That kindled never dies;  
This fire shall ever burn hot and  
Its smoke rise to the skies.  
I’ve neither land nor jewels nor fame  
Nor aught else to my name,  
But I’ve my love for Lúthien  
Which e’er shall be aflame.  
So we now wish to wedded be  
By customs hers and mine,  
And share our days in joyful bliss  
Beneath the stars that shine.

[THINGOL] ( _offended_ )  
And what of love does your kind know,  
Son of the Secondborn?  
Is not the life and love of Man  
Short as the blazing morn?  
No, tho’ you swear eternal love,  
Of this I shall have none,  
For your eternal love is but  
A setting of the sun.  
Once you’ve amused yourself with her  
And find the novelty  
Worn off, then you will walk away,  
But she shall not be free,  
Not then nor ever of her love  
For you, for she was born  
Of Elda blood and Maia soul,  
So will her heart be torn.  
And you? You’ll find some other maid  
To laugh with in the fields,  
And to her also swear your love  
Tho’ your lies be revealed.

[BEREN]  
I am not Elda, as you are,  
But neither do I love  
Capriciously, for it is not  
A gift I’m worthy of,  
So when I love, I love as you  
And all your people do,  
And never more shall hear again  
The call of spring anew.  
My King, you may insult my kind  
And may laugh at their fate,  
But you may not insult my love,  
For it is something great  
And fierce that I shall ne’er betray  
As long as I draw breath;  
I shall my love for Lúthien  
Hold dear unto my death.

[MELIAN] ( _to Thingol_ )  
He speaks the truth. His love for her  
Shall even conquer Fate;  
I counsel you to let them wed,  
Lest you awaken Hate.  
To Andreth he is like, for he  
No other love shall know,  
And she would choose one life with him  
Than face the years alone.

[THINGOL] ( _clearly very offended_ )  
He does great insult to us all!  
( _to Beren, through his teeth_ )  
Death you have earned with words unwise  
And death I'd give to you,  
Had I not sworn a hasty oath—  
That I repent now—to  
Not lay a finger on your head.  
How dare you, mortal, think  
You are to her a worthy match,  
Whose life is but a blink  
In Elven eyes, for us who count  
The years as grains of sand  
That trickle through the hourglass?  
You must now understand  
That our kindreds are apart  
For such did He ordain:  
The Men for Men, the Elves for Elves,  
And such shall it remain.

[MELIAN]  
My husband, in this you forget  
That we too broke this rule:  
Our kindreds too do lie apart  
But our love is a jewel  
That to us both has brought delight;  
For them it is the same  
For Love has over rules prevailed  
And victory does claim.

[THINGOL]  
But we are bound to Arda Marred  
Until she is remade,  
But his kind goes beyond the world,  
Beyond the Light and Shade.  
No peace shall they have after death;  
Nor shall they reunite,  
For she shall go to Mandos’ Halls  
And he into the night,  
For restless are the Secondborn  
In spirit, and they seek  
Some glory great beyond this world,  
Of which their fables speak.

[BEREN]  
I care not for that 'glory great'  
Nor anything but love,  
And that I will defend to death  
Beyond the horror of  
The Shade or torment at the hands  
Of Morgoth or his slaves.  
So name the price! For Lúthien's sake  
I'll any danger brave.

[THINGOL] ( _leaning forward_ )  
You err there, mortal— _any_ price?  
That oath you shall regret,  
For, once sworn, neither law nor love  
Shall pardon such a debt.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _to Beren_ )  
Don't swear it! Do you not recall  
The crimes of Fëanor  
Who with his sons did slay his kin  
On Eldamar's white shore?  
The Oath drove him—

[BEREN] ( _determined_ )  
As it shall me.  
For I will not stand by  
And watch as Elu Thingol does  
Our rightful love deny.  
( _swearing by his sword_ )  
So this I swear, on pain of death  
And darkness on my soul:  
That for my love for Lúthien  
I shall pay any toll;  
No price shall be too high for me,  
Nor any deed too great;  
Now hear my vow and it recall  
To Fortune and to Fate!

[MELIAN] ( _aside_ )  
So it is coming now to pass:  
The doom of Doriath,  
As foretold and unstoppable,  
Through reawakened wrath!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _aside_ )  
To swear in name of Death and Night,  
To call on endless gloom;  
Is this not what swore Fëanor  
That led him to his doom?

[MELIAN] ( _aside_ )  
Now it is done, and neither law  
Nor love, nor league of swords,  
Shall from the fatal Oath protect  
All of the Elven lords.

[THINGOL]  
Well, then! An oath you now have sworn,  
And you shall follow through!  
As you desire fair Lúthien's hand  
So I desire too  
A treasure which is now withheld  
By rock and steel and flame  
In Morgoth's lair in icy lands:  
The jewels of ancient fame!  
No Elven kingdom since the sun  
Rose in the east has won  
A Silmaril, but you have said  
Of dangers you fear none.  
Then go, I say, to Angband's halls  
And tear from Morgoth's crown  
A Silmaril, then tho' I shall  
Still on your union frown;  
If Lúthien will, she'll set her hand  
In yours that held the jewel,  
And you shall have the greatest gem  
Whose warmth shall never cool.

[BEREN] ( _laughing_ )  
For little price do Elven-kings  
Their dearest daughters sell:  
For gems and such things made by hand  
And craft! but very well;  
If this, King Thingol, be your will  
Then I will see it done,  
And when we meet again I shall  
Of Silmarils have one  
In hand for you from Morgoth's crown!  
Tinúviel, farewell!  
But I shall soon return to you,  
And then in peace we’ll dwell. Exit.

[MELIAN]  
O King, a cunning trap have you  
Set, but ensnares it all,  
For either you have doomed your child  
Or doomed yourself to fall.

[NARRATOR]  
So from fair Doriath departs  
Our hero for his quest,  
To make for wondrous Nargothrond  
Which lies a little west,  
For he intends collection of  
A debt sealed by his ring,  
But he hears not the warning trills  
That waking powers sing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! updates will probably be every week or so. got comments/constructive criticism? leave a comment or come talk to me on tumblr @[laurierliberal](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/laurierliberal)!


	2. Canto II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beren in Nargothrond.

[NARRATOR]  
Now let us come to Nargothrond,  
The fortress built in stone,  
Where reigns King Felagund the Fair  
Upon his gilded throne.  
We wander through the swaying trees,  
Our path lit by the moon;  
The river sings a silver song  
In canyons it has hewn.  
But soft! between the swaying trees  
We see our hero lost,  
And when Dawn smiles we hear the crunch  
Of his steps on the frost.  
And soft! between the rustling leaves  
We see a wary band  
Of Elven hunters who keep watch  
For strangers in their land.

[BEREN]  
I'm Beren son of Barahir,  
To Felagund a friend;  
His ring I bear upon my hand,  
Proof I do not pretend!

[ELF]  
I know the ring you wear, my lord,  
And know your words are true,  
So we shall bring you to the King,  
And he shall speak with you.

[NARRATOR]  
We hear the rush of Sirion,  
The thunder of his flow;  
We see the gates swing open and  
Into the city go.  
Here from the wings we set the scene  
For treason and for love,  
Where heroes shall receive their doom  
And triumph from above.  
Now Beren comes to Nargothrond  
To seek King Finrod's aid,  
For seeks he Lady Lúthien's hand,  
And Thingol must persuade.  
But Thingol's price: a Silmaril!  
That deadly gem of Light  
That shall awake an ancient fear,  
The fatal Oath in sight!

[BEREN]  
I come from northern lands where fought  
And dwelt my folk, my King;  
My father was a friend of yours  
To whom you gave your ring.

[FINROD]  
I need no ring to know your face,  
Bold son of Barahir,  
The Man to whom I owe my life  
And whom I did hold dear.  
You look just like your father, ai…  
I mourn his end with you;  
'Twas not a fate that he had earned,  
No evil did he do…  
But come, my friend, I am remiss,  
For weary must you be  
From journey long and perilous  
With little company.  
Now what can I give that you need  
Apart from haven here?  
What’s mine is yours, son of my friend;  
I hope I make that clear.

[BEREN]  
My King, I’ve come to ask for aid  
To win fair Lúthien’s hand.  
I met her as I wandered through  
King Thingol’s spell-bound land.  
We walked beneath the shining stars  
And pledged to share our lives,  
For good, for ill, in light, in dark,  
As husband and as wife.  
But Thingol does oppose our love,  
For I’m no Elven lord,  
He named his price: a Silmaril  
And her hand as reward.  
I know the road is treacherous  
And long to Morgoth's lair,  
But for my love, Tinúviel,  
No effort shall I spare.

[FINROD] ( _aside_ )  
So it is truly come to pass!  
The Doom that I foresaw  
And told to dear Galadriel  
Shall unfold into law.  
( _to Beren_ )  
It is to me as plain as day  
That Thingol hopes you fail  
And fall at Melkor's evil might  
Or else before him quail,  
Thus leaving Lúthien husbandless  
And bound not to your fate.  
But I see too another force  
That long has laid in wait:  
The Oath of fiery Fëanor  
That his sons too did take,  
Which now shall rise inside their hearts  
And which they cannot break.

[BEREN]  
I know the sons of Fëanor  
Would rather ruin lay  
Upon all Elven kingdoms than  
Permit the gem to stay  
In hands apart from their own claim,  
For such was how they swore,  
At price of death and darkness and  
The cruelties of war.  
But surely, you have power here,  
You're king above them all,  
And surely they will bow to you  
And not oppose your call.

[FINROD]  
But Celegorm and Curufin  
Have long dwelt in my halls,  
And won great power; tho' I rule,  
Some Elves will heed their calls  
To not allow you on this quest  
For fears that long have slept  
But sleep no longer, for this quest  
Shall break the peace long-kept.  
And tho' they've shown me friendship in  
Each need and ev’ry test,  
I fear they'll show you neither love  
Nor mercy for this quest.  
But still does hold the oath I swore  
To Barahir who dared  
Break through the siege and save my life,  
So we are all ensnared.

[BEREN]  
But surely they are not such fools  
That they would wish for war;  
Once Thingol sees I’ve won the gem,  
I'll bring it to their door.  
Then they may have their Silmaril  
And I my dearest dream;  
My King, we're never without hope  
Tho' hopeless it may seem.

[FINROD]  
But you forget the fatal Oath  
That cursed the gems with hate:  
And all who dare lay hands on them  
Shall share an awful fate.  
Once Thingol sees the Silmaril  
He'll never let it go,  
There will be war, 'twixt kin and kin  
For Doom has willed it so!  
So see you what I mean, my friend?  
If you go forth and find  
A Silmaril, you'll wake the beast  
That none may ever bind!

[BEREN]  
Then if your aid you will not give  
I shall go forth alone;  
I'd hoped your honour would to you  
Be dearer than your throne…  
For life-debts are with bloodshed sealed:  
To spill blood for blood spilled.  
But promises are meaningless  
If they are not fulfilled.  
But with your help or not I will  
Defend my love for her;  
I’ll not be daunted by your Doom  
Nor by the wars that were.

[FINROD]  
You neither know what you have asked  
Nor what you doom us to,  
But very well! you have my sword  
And song to take with you.  
My honour is to me worth more  
Than glory, throne, or life;  
I swore an oath that I shall keep,  
Through darkness and through strife,  
For better to with honour die  
Than live possessed by fear,  
But is it better to bring war  
On all the peoples here?

[BEREN]  
But better to have hope and faith  
That in this world there's good  
Than to retreat and only see  
The dead, decaying wood;  
For kindness is as swaying grass,  
Unnumbered in its blades,  
And there despite the howling storms  
And devastating raids.

[FINROD]  
Then you shall hope for both of us,  
For I cannot have faith  
That anyone can overcome  
A curse that makes them wraiths,  
And binds them to the fatal Oath  
That we'd hoped to escape.  
Alas! it makes slaves of us all,  
Tho' lovely be its shape,  
For comes it not in guise of Love  
And glory to its thralls?  
And does it not then drive them to  
Their deaths 'twixt Angband's walls?

[BEREN]  
I have to go. I have to try  
For Lady Lúthien’s sake.  
I seek not glory, but for her  
I’ll chance the Oath I wake.  
I cannot let my love for her  
Dissolve to ash for fear;  
I know that you don’t understand,  
But Love’s to me too dear  
To let an ancient oath oppose  
The union of our souls,  
So tho’ the Oath is, I must go  
To lands as black as coal.

[FINROD] ( _quietly_ )  
I understand. You aren’t the first  
To love like this and yearn;  
You aren’t the first who would for love  
Have let all Arda burn.  
( _decisive_ )  
Then let us ready for this quest.  
We'll leave ere break of dawn  
For lands from which none have returned  
Once to them they have gone.

[BEREN]  
But will you not at least attempt  
To call your realm to arms?  
Would this not also be their wish:  
To break free from the charms  
That Morgoth casts across their lands  
By hoarding what is theirs?  
For thus does he break their morale  
And darken their affairs.

[FINROD]  
But still you underestimate  
The power of the Oath;  
My people fear to challenge it,  
For death and doom shall both  
Be brought with fell force on their heads  
If they dare waken it.  
To silence and to secrecy  
We must our deed commit.

[BEREN]  
Your folk would find your words unfair,  
For they express no trust,  
Nor give them opportunity  
To choose what is most just.  
In any case, their king is you,  
Not Celegorm the Fair,  
Nor Curufin his crafty friend,  
And surely they won't dare  
To stage a coup against your rule  
And risk an open war,  
So surely they will follow you  
As they have done before.

[FINROD] ( _aside_ )  
So certain they would not dare stage  
A coup against my rule!  
( _to Beren_ )  
I fear that this would only add  
To flames an extra fuel;  
But very well, I'll speak to them  
And see whom we may win.  
Perhaps we'll manage to obtain  
Some succour from my kin.  
( _aside_ )  
I fear to leave my kingdom to  
The sons of Fëanor,  
For surely they will use her might  
To wage an open war  
If Beren wins a Silmaril  
From Melkor's iron crown;  
I dare not ask them for their aid  
For it may bring us down.  
But still my oath does hold me bound  
To give what aid I can…  
And in the doom that I foresaw,  
This is how it began…

[NARRATOR]  
So this is how begins the tale  
Of heroes brave and bold,  
Who into darkness went for love  
And loyalties of old.  
We see in Beren youthful hope  
And love like candlelight;  
The flame that burns for Lúthien  
Shall warm him through the night.  
We see in Finrod deep unease,  
For high shall be the price;  
But memory of love has set  
The stage for sacrifice.  
And from the depths of prophecy  
An ancient power stirs,  
That shall of peace make shattered glass,  
And burning forest firs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well! that was,,, ~~based on the number of the same name from finrod-zong~~ fun to write!! i hope it was equally fun to read! comments are welcome, either here or on my tumblr @[laurierliberal](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/laurierliberal)!


	3. Canto III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands together evilly* Time for... THE DEBATE! Where Finrod, Curufin, and Celegorm cross verbal swords (although Celegorm also literally draws a sword, this has textual evidence), friendships are broken, and oaths are kept! Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, the third chapter of the Lay of Leithian!

[NARRATOR]  
The carven arches swoop and soar  
In Nargothrond's great halls,  
A graceful work of many years  
But one that soon shall fall  
In ways more numerous than one.  
Our heroes take their place  
Before the city's people, who  
Watch with one wary face.  
Here Felagund shall take the stage  
As Beren did request,  
To call his mighty realm to arms  
And put their faith to test,  
For swore they oaths to lord and land  
That they should now fulfil,  
But other shrouded powers have  
Set in their hearts a chill.

[BEREN]  
My King, I thank you—

[FINROD]  
Thank me not  
Before we set the scene;  
Before you witness Fate unfold  
And Powers rise unseen.

[BEREN]  
You speak as if you had some gift  
From Foresight fair herself  
To know the future's twists and turns  
Before it knows itself.

[NARRATOR]  
Now silent Felagund remains  
And to his friend looks not,  
For Beren edges near the truth,  
A truth that's best forgot.  
A false name is this 'Foresight fair'  
For she's not fair but cruel,  
And casts upon her lovers spells  
That with Fate's hand shall duel.  
But neither Fortune, Foresight, nor  
The law of love may stay  
The hand of Fate when comes the hour  
To doom upon them lay.  
Fate's chosen tools shall this time be  
The sons of Fëanor,  
Who watch in shadow from the wings  
And whose eyes warn of war.

[FINROD]  
My people! now has come the hour  
That Foresight once ordained,  
Where debts are paid and bonds renewed  
'Gainst darkness that has reigned  
For far too long with iron hand  
And fear set in our hearts;  
'To arms, to arms,' does call this world  
Of which we are a part!  
Recall you do brave Barahir,  
Of loyal Bëor's line,  
And now recall the deeds he did  
To thwart Melkor's design:  
For long in high Dorthonion  
Before the Sudden Flame  
Did he defend in forest green  
And victory did claim  
'Gainst forces of the Enemy.  
We swore to ne’er forget  
His service, and I now remind  
You that we owe a debt:  
By his defence of northern lands  
'Gainst Angband are we safe!  
By sacrifices of his kin  
Was Nargothrond kept safe!

[CELEGORM] ( _muttering sarcastically_ )  
And not by our people's blood  
Shed for that bitter pass.  
If not—

[CURUFIN] ( _to Celegorm alone_ )  
Have caution, lest you break  
This peace as shattered glass.

[CELEGORM] ( _to Curufin alone_ )  
This peace shall break—

[CURUFIN] ( _to Celegorm alone_ )  
Indeed it shall.  
But it shall not be us  
Who bring this strife and discord here  
But how our king speaks thus.  
(aside)  
For if I read the warning in  
His eyes and posture right,  
He means to seek the jewels and bring  
The Oath into our sight.  
And there! the mortal Lúthien chose  
Who looks on, satisfied  
To see the sund'ring of a realm  
To gratify his pride!

[FINROD]  
Then when the burning rivers were  
By Melkor's magic sent  
To burn our lands and citadels  
Did Barahir prevent  
The wholesale slaughter of our folk  
When routed was our force,  
Beset on ev’ry side until  
Came Barahir ahorse  
And from our deaths delivered us  
With shining sword and spear.  
Slain we would be, if not for him  
Who rode forth without fear!  
Then tho’ the vict’ry Melkor claimed,  
Still Barahir did lead  
A bold resistance, made of twelve  
With battle as its creed:  
'To wage a war, through night, through day,  
On rivers, 'twixt the trees  
As long as Morgoth stand the lord  
Of darkness 'twixt the seas.'

[CELEGORM] ( _to Curufin_ )  
Well, little good it did for them.

[CURUFIN] ( _to Celegorm_ )  
Or us, in any case.  
To march against the Enemy  
Would not our homes replace.

[FINROD]  
And there I swore an oath to him  
And sealed it with my ring  
To aid his house in time of need,  
Whatever Time may bring.  
And now his son does ask for aid  
To win his lady's hand,  
And bound I am by that same vow  
To by young Beren stand.

[CURUFIN] ( _stepping out_ )  
Yet still you've not revealed to us  
The nature of your task.  
What is the price that asks the bride  
That you have not unmasked?  
What seeks she that you seek the aid  
Of all your chieftains strong?  
What price asks she that you must meet  
The evil in the Song?

[BEREN] ( _offended_ )  
No price asks _she_ —

[FINROD] ( _to Beren_ )  
Peace. I'll explain.  
( _to Curufin and his people_ )  
The price King Thingol set:  
A Silmaril for Lúthien's hand  
To make him face the threat  
Of Melkor's might 'twixt Angband's walls  
And prove his worthiness  
To set his hand in Lúthien's own  
By showing steadfastness.

[CURUFIN]  
A Silmaril! Does he not know  
The Oath he does invoke?  
Does _you_ not know this quest shall end  
In fire and trailing smoke?  
I never took you for a fool,  
But mad perhaps you are,  
To aid this mortal—

[FINROD]  
I've no choice.  
No more than you, as far  
As pledges are concerned, but we  
May still avert this doom,  
For Thingol never said to keep  
The gem won from its tomb.  
So we may join our forces and  
From Melkor's iron crown  
Then tear a Silmaril to win  
For Beren some renown,  
And once King Thingol sees the jewel,  
Return it to your hands,  
And thus preserve the peace that reigns  
Today in Elven lands.

[CURUFIN]  
Return the jewel? You must be mad  
To think he can resist  
The power of the deadly curse  
That rises in our midst!  
( _shaking his head and turning away_ )  
No, Thingol won't return the gem  
When it he has in hand,  
And then he'll watch from Mandos' Halls  
As flame consumes his land.  
( _turning back to Finrod_ )  
In any case, this madness has  
No hope of victory;  
In haste to aid the Man you have  
Forgotten history?

[FINROD]  
The Battle of the Sudden Flame  
I do remember still,  
But if we challenge Melkor not  
Then no one ever will  
Till he unleashes fire once more  
And Angband's furious might  
Upon our citadels and tow'rs  
And throws them into Night,  
And bids us bid the stars farewell.  
But if we win the first  
And foremost of his conquests, fears  
Of him shall be reversed.

[CURUFIN] ( _shaking his head_ )  
I warn you—

[CELEGORM] ( _drawing his sword_ )  
Be he foe or friend,  
Dark thrall or Vala bright,  
Or Morgoth’s demon, Elf, or Man,  
No matter what his might,  
If find and keep a Silmaril  
He does, then neither law  
Nor love, nor league of hell shall shield  
Him from the gaping Maw  
Of dread pursuing hate of the  
Sons of the Smith of Light!  
Indeed, not pow’r of wizardry  
Nor great Valarin might  
Shall stop the sons of Fëanor  
From hunting him till death  
Or e’en beyond, for _them_ we claim  
Till Arda’s final breath!

[FINROD]  
But now we either stand or fall  
Against the gates of doom,  
Else by inaction we shall heap  
The dirt on our own tomb.  
Where is the valour of the Elves  
Of olden days now fled?  
Where are the warriors of our songs?  
Are they forgot—

[CURUFIN]  
They're dead.  
I jest not, King of Nargothrond.  
Just think of what we sing,  
I'll help: in Dagor Bragollach  
Alone, there was the king  
Fingolfin, and your brothers too,  
Brave Angrod Iron-Hand  
And Aegnor; they who fought and died  
In flame to guard their lands.  
And then before was Maedhros tall  
Who paid the price so dear  
Of fighting 'gainst the Enemy  
By losing thirty years.  
And scarce had Fëanor made camp  
In Mithrim by the Sea,  
Before the Demon of the Night  
Laughed in unholy glee.  
We cannot stand against him. No,  
We've not the strength nor pow'r—

[FINROD]  
Was Maedhros not from Melkor freed  
In Fingon's glorious hour?

[CURUFIN]  
Think you that he is not prepared  
For ventures such as these?  
Think you he learned from Fingon not?  
That this he'd not foresee?  
This madness of a plan that will  
Wake curses that have slept  
But sleep no longer, for you have  
With words to war now stepped?

[FINROD]  
Think you we'd copy Fingon's plan,  
Each step and moment all?  
Think you—

[CURUFIN] ( _à la snapping turtle_ )  
Then what, O King, have you  
Planned to avoid the fall?

[FINROD]  
It's simple. Draw his gaze away,  
Divert him from our trail,  
Then press the power of surprise  
To over him prevail  
By binding him with song and craft  
To give us time to tear  
A Silmaril from th' Iron Crown  
And thus old wrongs repair!

[CURUFIN]  
It won't work. He won't fall for it.  
You set yourself to fail.  
No, better to forget your oath—

[FINROD]  
And 'fore the Darkness quail?  
Forget my oath, and honour too,  
And 'gainst the Darkness cease  
To stand, and live preserved by fear—

[CURUFIN] ( _shouting_ )  
The peace preserved!

[FINROD] ( _beginning quietly, but voice rising as he speaks_ )  
Ah, peace.  
This peace you'd buy with your delay  
Will not prevent the fall  
Of Nargothrond at Melkor's hands,  
I warn you one and all!

[CELEGORM] ( _menacing, in a brawny way_ )  
Is that a threat?

[CURUFIN] ( _menacing, in a brainy way_ )  
Do you suggest  
That Nargothrond will fall  
No matter what we do or say?  
( _pretending to think_ )  
I wonder what to call  
This sort of prescience… it seems  
Beyond a simple Sight,  
That might be brought by Foresight, yet…  
You're so sure you are right…  
( _dramatized 'aha!' moment_ )  
What means this? what means Felagund  
When he claims that this land  
Will fall, and how is he so sure  
( _triumphant_ )  
'Less it be by his hand!

[FINROD] ( _outraged, but holding back_ )  
No hand have _I_ in Nargothrond's  
Fall to the Enemy,  
But Lady Foresight warned me with  
A vision by the Sea:  
'Love not too well your handiwork  
For it is not to last,'  
And showed me flame and smoke and steel  
As Nargothrond's might passed  
To legend and to lore. I built  
This city with my hands;  
I delved these rooms and sang the spells  
And wards that keep these lands!  
And now you dare accuse—

[CURUFIN] ( _false peacemaking_ )  
Peace! peace!  
I only speculate!  
( _to the people_ )  
No, certainly he'd not betray  
The realm he helped create.  
( _manipulative_ )  
But he is not a Vala o'er  
Us to dictate our lives—  
Or deaths, as is the case at hand—  
However he now strives  
To gain our doomed support for this  
Doomed venture that will send  
Our warriors' spirits to the Halls  
And kin from kin will rend!

( _there is visible discontent from the people; they turn away from Finrod_ )

[CELEGORM] ( _aside, to Curufin_ )  
And by what right holds he this throne  
That was not ours by right?  
By what right usurped he the pow'r  
We had before the Flight?

[CURUFIN] ( _aside, to Celegorm_ )  
Now hold your tongue. That's not the face  
You want our realm to see.  
They won't agree with what you say  
Tho' true your words may be.  
( _continuing his speech to the people_ )  
I warn you now, both one and all  
That we have not the might  
To march against the Demon's realm  
Where reigns eternal night.  
So if we rise, ( _sarcastic_ ) 'in glory wreathed,'  
( _serious_ )  
Think of what that reveals:  
Indeed, the map-mark of this realm  
Ripe for the bite of steel!  
But for the sake of some debate  
Let's say this gambit works:  
So then the mortal has a jewel—  
What then? The Oath that lurks!  
The Oath that slept for centuries  
But called on, shall awake  
To bring the horror of a war  
And Nargothrond unmake!  
So see you? people of this realm!  
Your home would burn to ash,  
The cries of children—not one spared—  
Extinguished in this clash!  
Is this what would have Felagund  
_The Fair_ , who calls 'To arms!':  
This city fair then fair no more?  
Sounds this not an alarm?

[FINROD]  
Heard you not that we would return  
The gem once won to you,  
The rightful owners? Take you not  
My solemn word as true?

[CURUFIN] ( _scornfully_ )  
Not e'en the word of Manwë nor  
Ilúvatar the One  
Would I trust when we come to speak  
Of Silmarils, for none  
Will ever willingly return  
The gems once they're in hand.  
Then there's no choice but war and grief,  
This do you understand?

[CELEGORM] ( _aside, to Curufin_ )  
The people turn away from him.

[CURUFIN] ( _aside, to Celegorm_ )  
That's good. He won't succeed.  
Alone he shall go to his death  
And leave us here to lead.

[CELEGORM] ( _aside, to Curufin, in time with his last two words_ )  
To lead.

[CURUFIN]  
Well, cousin? what choose you to keep:  
Your people or your pride?

[FINROD] ( _casting the crown at his feet_ )  
Your oaths of faith to me you may  
Forget and cast aside,  
Yet I shall hold my bond and keep  
My honour still intact—

[CELEGORM]  
That's once you have accused us of  
Dishonour without fact!

[CURUFIN]  
And once of cowardice, 'tho we  
Are not by _your_ oath bound!

[FINROD] ( _dryly_ )  
Well, treason _you've_ accused me of,  
So we're on even ground.

[CELEGORM]  
You say _that_ —

[FINROD] ( _salt level set to maximum_ )  
Yes. And what of it?  
( _to all_ )  
Forsake me tho' you may,  
If there be any who have not  
Yet seen the end of day  
Brought by the shadow of our curse,  
Then I should find at least  
A few to follow me from here  
To Melkor’s realm northeast,  
And not go hence as one who's cast  
Unwanted from the gate.

[EDRAHIL] ( _standing forth with the ten faithful_ )  
We ten shall go with you, for mark  
We better love than hate.  
( _picking up the crown_ )  
But to a steward leave the crown  
Who in your name shall rule  
Till your return home from this quest  
That searches for the jewel;  
Else in your absence Nargothrond  
To factions may divide.  
For you remain my king, and theirs,  
Whatever woe betide.

[FINROD] ( _pensive_ )  
Aye. ( _decisive_ ) Orodreth, you have the crown  
And throne while I am gone!

[ORODRETH] ( _after reluctant agreement_ )  
But of your cousins: if they stay  
New doom shall on us dawn,  
For surely aiming for a coup  
Is—

[FINROD]  
No. They claim guest-right  
And in these lands that law still holds  
With sacred, shining light.  
We've broken laws and broken bonds  
Enough upon these lands.  
Break not what laws are left to us,  
But keep what they command.  
( _pause_ )  
That is an order.

[ORODRETH] ( _still more reluctantly_ )  
Yes, my lord.

[CURUFIN] ( _mocking_ )  
Still merciful and kind.  
That does to you a credit, King,  
A gift you leave behind.

[FINROD] ( _sharply_ )  
Try not my patience, Curufin,  
Lest I amend my part.

[CURUFIN] ( _backpedalling_ )  
I meant—

[FINROD] ( _coolly_ )  
I know what you had meant.  
( _to his people_ )  
Farewell! for I depart.  
( _to Orodreth_ )  
Fear not to do what you must do,  
And trust your heart. Farewell!

[ORODRETH]  
Farewell! ( _aside_ ) And yet I wonder what  
Means for us this 'Farewell!'

[NARRATOR]  
So ends this coup that's not a coup  
In silence and in fear,  
And hope, for some, that Finrod will  
Return within the year;  
And not leave them with Orodreth,  
Who cares not for the throne,  
And Celegorm and Curufin,  
Who watch with hearts of stone.  
So now departs the wisest and  
Best-loved of all his kin:  
King Felagund—a king no more—  
For wars he cannot win.  
What move can he make on a board  
Of chess poisoned by pow'r?  
What lengths shall love for Barahir  
Push him to in this hour?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (wow. that was a lot. i feel bad for finrod and am Angry at c&c, like, is that any way you treat your host???) anyway, thank you for reading! comments are always welcome, either here or on my tumblr @[laurierliberal](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/laurierliberal)!


	4. Canto IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Thus befell the contest of Sauron and Felagund which is renowned.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip to sauron's intonation (i.e. ability to sing in tune). finrod, by contrast, i expect to sing in tune. intonation slips will not be tolerated here. however, near the end for finrod but not sauron: *rhythm has left the chat*

[NARRATOR]  
Our friends have travelled long and far  
Through forest and through plain,  
And now they near the island where  
Once Orodreth did reign,  
When it was still called Sirion,  
Named for the river's flow,  
And still was light and green and fair  
Not yet ten years ago.  
From far away the tower stands  
Beneath the stormy skies,  
Another temple to the Night  
Where darkness never dies.  
Our heroes stop along their road  
To watch the rains that lash  
The island's earth and tower tall  
And see the lightning flash.

[EDRAHIL]  
A camp of orcs lies soon ahead.

[FINROD] ( _nods in acknowledgement; to the rest_ )  
Prepare your bows and blades.  
We'll fall quicksilver-like on them  
And make a little trade.

[EDRAHIL] ( _squints suspiciously_ )  
A trade?

[FINROD] ( _mischief tinged with melancholy_ )  
A little one, like this:  
We'll trade our form for theirs  
And with our new disguises then  
Catch Sauron unawares,  
Enough, I hope, to keep him from  
Our trail until we pass  
Into the north beyond his sight  
Through magic or through glass.

[NARRATOR]  
Swift they prepare, in silence and  
Their blades in sunlight shine  
With pow’r and song of Elvenesse  
In every gleaming line.  
Then forth lets Felagund a cry  
And hark! twelve Orcs now fall  
And die, and eighteen more with sword  
And bow they slay, till all  
Are gone to whate'er fate the Orcs  
Of Angband meet in death.  
But Orcs hunt not in such small bands,  
So 'mid their ragged breath  
Our heroes strip their victims of  
Their raiment, then they cast  
The corpses in a pit. Then swift  
They move, disguised at last.

[FINROD] ( _to the company near the western pass_ )  
Swift must we move, disguised remain  
In silence till we've reached  
The other side, else our defence  
'Gainst capture shall be breached.  
My arts may keep your names and shapes  
Concealed, but not for long  
If we are caught, for Sauron is  
In magic far too strong.

[SAURON] ( _aside, from his tower_ )  
What is this company that goes  
And breaches protocol?  
Why do they not report their deeds  
But rather northward crawl?  
( _to a group of Orcs_ )  
Go, get you hence! Bring them to me  
Who dare their lord defy!  
( _once they are gone_ )  
How strange, how odd, these thralls who like  
Scared outlaws from me fly!

( _Finrod & co. are waylaid by a group of Orcs (real ones) and brought before Sauron_)

[SAURON] ( _à la annoyed cat_ )  
What are your names? Who do you serve?  
What news? what have you seen?  
Why came you not to make report  
Of places you have been? 

[FINROD] ( _doing an almost-passable acting job_ )  
Named Dungalef and Nereb and  
Of warriors wrathful ten  
We are, who serve as Morgoth's thralls  
And would serve him again.  
We roamed the western Guarded Plain  
To spy on Elvenesse,  
And there we saw with grins and glee  
Their tears and their distress,  
For great your power over lands  
That once were theirs has grown,  
And weep they do for fear that you  
Shall claim your rightful throne. 

[SAURON] ( _displeased_ )  
Now mind your speech, lest treason pass  
Your lips about this throne!  
The rule you speak of o'er the Elves  
Is Morgoth's seat alone! 

[FINROD] ( _hastily_ )  
Yes, Morgoth's throne! forgive me, lord,  
For in my speech I erred. 

[SAURON] ( _magnanimously_ )  
Well, quickly you correct yourself,  
So then you shall be spared. 

[FINROD] ( _bowing_ )  
My lord is merciful. 

[SAURON] ( _waving him off_ )  
Come, tell  
Me true, O Morgoth's thralls,  
The details of your hunt. What now  
In Elvenesse befalls?  
Of Nargothrond, what news have you?  
What robber reigneth there? 

[FINROD]  
We dared not enter. Only to  
Its borders did we dare. 

[SAURON] ( _impatient_ )  
What robber reigneth there? 

[FINROD] ( _after a suspicious pause_ )  
There reigns  
King Felagund the Fair. 

[SAURON] ( _'gotcha!'_ )  
Then heard you not that he is gone,  
By Curufin dethroned?  
And heard you not that Celegorm  
Was in his place enthroned? 

[FINROD] ( _indignant_ )  
That is not true! If he is gone,  
Then Orodreth does wield  
The power of the mighty throne!  
For Finrod would not yield  
His realm to Fëanor's two sons  
Despite their cunning plot! 

[SAURON] ( _more 'gotcha!'_ )  
Sharp are your ears to tidings hear  
Of realms you entered not!  
Sure you are then that Felagund  
Left Orodreth to rule?  
( _shaking his head_ )  
Unwise, for one once 'Wisdom' named…  
But Wisdom is a fool.  
But odd that you should of that realm  
These little details know,  
If ventured in those halls to spy  
You claim you did not go.  
Who is your captain, spearmen bold?  
Who led you through the plain?  
Who learned that city’s secrets that  
For long ‘neath veils have lain? 

[FINROD] ( _realizing he has not thought this far ahead…_ )  
Boldog our captain led us o'er  
The plain and river's stone.  
'Tis he who learned these secrets that  
Till now none else have known.  
We marched north, summoned, through the pass  
For errands that need haste,  
To meet our captain, who with fire  
Awaits us in the Waste. 

[SAURON] ( _even more 'gotcha!'_ )  
Boldog, I heard, went lately west  
And was in battle slain  
By Robber Thingol and his folk  
In Melian's domain.  
And in that land where cringe and crawl  
Drear Doriath's outlaw folk,  
Heard you not of that pretty fay  
Who dances 'neath the oak?  
Fair Lúthien! whom Morgoth would  
Possess among his thralls!  
Boldog he sent to capture her;  
Strange you heard not his calls,  
Strange you went not to Doriath  
To do our master's will!  
Yes, strange indeed that you weren't slain  
But stand before me still! 

[BEREN] ( _most unwisely, under his breath_ )  
My Lúthien… if Morgoth dares  
To touch my lady fair— 

[EDRAHIL] ( _hissing, but not in a Voldemort way_ )  
Be silent! hold your peace, lest we  
Be dragged into despair! 

[SAURON] ( _à la 'too late,' pointing to Beren_ )  
Now grim is that one's countenance!  
So baleful in his glare!  
What troubles him? fair Lúthien?  
What feeling makes she flare  
Inside his heart? Why laughs he not  
At her in Morgoth's hoard,  
A maiden crushed beneath the might  
Of his ferocious lord?  
Is it not right that foul should now  
Be that which once was clean?  
And Dark should be where once upon  
A time bright Light had been?  
Whom do you serve? the Light or Mirk?  
Pretenders to the throne  
Or King of Kings, the lord of all  
The world unknown and known?  
Who brings by far the greatest gifts  
And treasures to the land?  
Who shall to Manwë death-blow deal  
With spear and chain in hand?  
Whom do you serve, the law of Love  
Or lawless Hate and Wrath?  
The sun and stars and moon that bring  
Light to their wand'ring path;  
Or starless night and windless lake  
That bring all to despair?  
Which serve you: endless evil or  
The foes of Morgoth's lair?  
Renew your oaths, O Morgoth's thralls!  
Swear to him loyalty!  
Renounce Pretender Manwë's claim  
To rule o'er land or sea! 

[FINROD] ( _aside_ )  
No Elf or Man yet free and true  
Would speak this blasphemy  
Unto the Powers of the West  
Who rule both land and sea! 

[EDRAHIL] ( _aside_ )  
Indeed, not even those who know  
No Varda Queen of Stars,  
Nor hold in holy reverence  
The Ñoldorin Valar  
Would cast this curse against their kin  
And lands, which yet are light!  
No, tho' I know no Manwë, I  
Shall not this oath recite! 

[BEREN] ( _perhaps the one intelligent thing he has said of yet_ )  
Seek you to rob of Morgoth the  
Allegiance all do owe  
For you alone? We owe you no  
Obeisance, and would go. 

[SAURON] ( _evil-masquerading-as-well-intentioned laughter_ )  
Have patience. Worry not, for you  
Not long shall here abide,  
But first a song I'll sing to you.  
( _aside_ )  
See then if you can hide.  
( _beginning to sing, alternating sharp and flat intonation on each note :/_ )  
See now! the Darkness falls on you,  
That no more can you see  
Except those visions I shall pluck  
And bring before they flee  
For you to watch unfold, as if  
They were to truly be,  
And then your errand you'll betray  
Through what you choose to see.  
( _as darkness falls in the room, firelight centring on him_ )  
Reveal to me these secrets that  
You hide beneath your masks,  
You veil from all the questions the  
Interrogator asks!  
No thralls are you who stand before  
Me, tho' their forms you wear;  
No thrall-spell woven hastily  
Would 'gainst my power bear!  
But still for me it is no match,  
This duel of sorcery,  
For I am Sauron, master of  
The arts of wizardry!  
Now liberate the truth behind  
The lies your spells project!  
Unlock the gates and swing them wide;  
Reveal what they protect! 

[FINROD]  
Against my spells you match your own  
Of treason and deceit;  
I say to you, these wards you shall  
Not by your tricks defeat!  
For spells like these are woven with  
The power and the art  
Of love that you don't understand  
For you have not a heart!  
How can you understand that pow'r,  
You who have never loved,  
Except as the Deceiver who  
Betrays all those he loved!  
You laugh at Love and treat her as  
A petal fallen far  
That you might crush beneath your heel  
As you would with the stars;  
But Love you shall not trifle with  
For she has hidden strengths:  
'Twas Love that drove me from my home  
To go to any lengths,  
'Twas Love that sent me forth for war  
When none would take my part;  
'Tis Love that shall now barricade  
The secrets of my heart!  
Here stands the tow'r of Sirion,  
Heroic 'gainst disgrace;  
So long as Sirion stands tall,  
These spells shall hold in place  
And hold the gates against the lies  
You weave into a trap,  
For tho' your magic mighty be  
The chains you cast shall snap  
While we, the faithful of our folk,  
Remain as free and true  
As were we when we left our lands  
For paths that lead to you! 

[SAURON]  
Ha! first you call for Love to hold  
Your secrets in her jail,  
And then you call on Freedom and  
That weakling you do hail  
To be your saviour! Which is it?  
Which master do you serve?  
The one who makes you captives, tho'  
Your secrets she preserves?  
Or she who from the irons of  
Your secrets sets you free?  
You can't have both! you can't serve both!  
Not this side of the Sea! 

[FINROD]  
But both we serve, and both we claim  
For us to stand on guard!  
For Love to us brings Liberty:  
We've fought both long and hard  
To stand without the yoke and chain  
Of thralls, for kin we hold  
Dear in our hearts, and lands we love  
To thrive in freedom bold.  
But should I choose, I choose for Love  
To hold me in her bonds  
That I shall not let secrets slip  
Till I have passed beyond! 

[SAURON] ( _eyes glowing_ )  
The words you speak are dangerous!  
They are— 

[FINROD] ( _with a fell light in his eyes_ )  
Then let them be!  
For we shall take our secrets with  
Our souls beyond the Sea! 

[SAURON] ( _laughing_ )  
A tow'r you call the strength of Love  
That keeps your secrets barred  
Behind its gates, but towers fall—  
They fall, and they fall hard,  
As angels fall from love to grief,  
And glory to disgrace— 

[FINROD] ( _laughing harshly also_ )  
Now tell, _Aulendil_ , how it hurt  
To fall from the embrace  
Of Aulë Smith of Arda— 

[SAURON] ( _affected, perhaps tearing up a little; sounding more like he is trying to convince himself_ )  
No!  
Not _fall from_ , but _escape_  
The thralldom I was held beneath  
When I still feared the shape  
Of Aulë's wrath, and knew not yet  
My Morgoth, lord of all!  
A fool you are to think this choice  
Is counted as a _fall_! 

[FINROD] ( _gentler tone_ )  
But wish you sometimes not for peace,  
For love and law and light?  
For loved you not the Vala who  
Taught you to shine so bright?  
Fair _Mairon_ , 'Precious,' he named you;  
Think you not of those years?  
When scars and tears marked not your face  
And Aulë held you dear?  
Before the Marring of the world,  
When light and love still reigned?  
And ordered was young Arda then,  
The order you have strained  
Since then to reestablish in  
The world, but only tears  
Have come of it, for Morgoth has  
Wrought chaos through the years?  
But think: the other twelve Valar  
Stand fast against that one.  
Think you to stand against the Pow’rs  
That wrought and set the sun  
High in the skies to order bring  
To chaos of the dark?  
More could you do by Aulë’s side  
To heal the bleeding mark  
Of Morgoth’s hate on Arda’s earth  
Than how you toil now!  
The Smith would joy at your return  
And kiss your furrowed brow!  
He loves you still, and mourns— 

[SAURON] ( _regaining or re-losing his senses, depending on the point of view_ )  
Then let  
Him mourn! I have no need  
For any Vala save the one  
And only fit to lead!  
( _laughing madly_ )  
You think to with your smoke of ‘love’  
Seduce me for the Smith  
And his compatriots-in-crime  
Whose mercy is a myth!  
Well, drowned shall be the sun and moon  
And stars beneath the rage  
Of endless darkness by the hand  
Of him who broke the cage  
Your Powers wrought to keep us in  
Our places as their thralls,  
When we were made for greater things  
Than just their beck and call.  
Come join me! break the bonds that hold  
You back from Freedom bold!  
From me you shall have greater strength  
And crowns of burnished gold!  
Your precious, dear Valar sit on  
Their thrones without a care  
For troubles that their subjects face;  
Is this now just or fair? 

[FINROD]  
They care— 

[SAURON]  
Oh, do they? Strange their way  
Of showing it! with Doom  
That curses all the Elven folk  
To walk in grief and gloom!  
With Doom that punishes them all  
For fleeing from the land  
Where they were held as thralls, as if  
Each Elf had spilled on sand  
The blood by sword and torch-light of  
Their kin. But come, we stray— 

[FINROD] ( _voice rising as he sings_ )  
Indeed, from truth! for you speak lies  
Designed to draw away  
Attention from all hope and good,  
What's left of Arda's light,  
To drown us in the endless void  
Of grief and gloom and Night!  
( _to both his companions and Sauron_ )  
But truly, not all hope is lost  
While true our hearts remain!  
For birds still sing, and trees still sway  
And Day shall come again;  
And Sirion flows toward the Sea,  
The Sea that sighs on sand,  
On sand both on these shores and far  
Away in Elvenland!  
( _to some of the company_ )  
For us who came across the Sea  
By ship and storm or Ice,  
We still remember where it lies,  
Our hope beyond a price!  
( _to Beren_ )  
Your folk who crossed the mountains tall  
To seek a land of Light  
Beyond the Shadow—with you is  
That same brave heart and might!  
( _to Edrahil and some of the company_ )  
And you whose eyes shine with the light  
Of stars before the Trees,  
Remember you are of the folk  
Who've ne'er gone to their knees!  
( _to all_ )  
Remember that for years we have  
Fought evil side by side,  
And if we are to go beyond  
This world, we go with pride! 

[SAURON]  
But pride, my rival, goes before  
The anguish of a fall,  
And was Pride not what wrought your Doom  
That falls on one and all?  
Now see and hear: in Valinor  
The kin you fought and slew,  
And then from lamplit havens their  
White-sailed ships stealing drew!  
Knew you not then that these ships were  
The work of their heart's blood?  
And knew you not that you unleashed  
Upon your kin a flood  
Of woe and rage of new-born grief,  
For their ships to them were  
As dear as those cursed Silmarils  
Were to your Fëanor?  
No peace do you deserve! no gods  
Shall aid you in your grief!  
As you dealt out you shall receive:  
Heartbreak without relief!  
See now! your darkness, rival dear,  
Does bring you to your knees! 

[FINROD] ( _struggling_ )  
But hear me! Manwë, Varda, all  
My Lords beyond the seas!  
None here have slain a single Elf  
Or Man except the thralls  
Of Morgoth, sent to sow the seeds  
For all the world to fall  
Into the Dark— 

[SAURON] ( _growing in terrible power_ )  
They hear you not!  
No villain would they aid!  
Perhaps you slew your own kin not  
But you were too afraid  
To stop the bloodshed on your shore!  
Complicit still you were!  
Now yield to th' Everlasting Dark;  
Let hope to anguish blur! 

( _a_ thunk _as Finrod keels over, though not dead_ —yet) 

[SAURON] ( _to Gollum's 'what's this, precious?' not unalike_ )  
What's this? No longer are the Orcs  
Who came into my land,  
But in their place eleven Elves  
And one Man now do stand!  
( _to his lackeys_ )  
Take them and bind them in the dark!  
No longer shall they know  
The beam of hope or glimmer bright  
In dungeons far below! 

[NARRATOR]  
For Þauron, seeing he could not  
With promises of gold  
Or glory great sway Felagund,  
Resorted to the cold  
Reminder of the stain upon  
The Ñoldor Elves who slew  
Their kin who rode the ocean's foam;  
And opened wounds anew.  
Yet not all unavailing are  
The spells of Felagund  
Which held still, tho' their maker's soul  
Had suffered many wounds;  
For neither name nor purpose could  
Their captor yet detect,  
For all the questions in his mind  
Did Finrod's spells deflect! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp. that was a lot. my brain feels like mush now. i am mildly Suspicious that my narrator may, in fact, be a feanorian... or a relative of theirs... because... ' _Þauron_ '... also i am Very disappointed in sauron's ability (or lack thereof) to sing in tune, as i have said in the beginning notes. i think we can excuse finrod's loss of rhythmic ability near the end, since he is being Hammered by sauron's magic (that is NOT in the way you think, get your mind out of the gutter).
> 
> thank you for reading! comments and kudos (here or on my tumblr @[fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino)) validate me! have a wonderful day/night!


	5. Canto V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lúthien's conversation with Melian about the fate of the twelve; her attempt to flee; a glimpse into Thingol's court; Lúthien's imprisonment; and her escape. Featuring a guest: Daeron!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate thingol. he's so. fucking stupid. (i don't actually hate him but like... boi could have used reason but NO)

[NARRATOR]  
But what in Doriath befalls?  
What news of Lúthien dear?  
What means this shadow in her heart,  
This choking, blinding fear?  
Where now has gone her Beren bold?  
Why does the starlight dim?  
What horrors have the falling leaves  
Of autumn brought on him?  
What pains him now? what ails his soul,  
His spirit burning bright  
In agony in Lúthien's mind  
Beneath eternal night?  
So goes she to her mother for  
The knowledge she might glean  
Of Beren's troubles on his quest  
From Melian the Queen.

( _Lúthien walks in, dejected/anxious, the way students are in exam season_ )

[MELIAN]  
Troubled you are, distressed your thoughts,  
No song you sing of late,  
Nor dance with autumn’s rustling leaves;  
You bear a heavy weight.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Where walks my bold beloved now,  
With Fortune fey and fair?  
What evils have my father's price  
Forced on his heart to bear?

[MELIAN]  
You know then that the Darkness dogs  
His footsteps?

[LÚTHIEN]  
Yes, I do;  
I know that Fortune fickle does  
Her evil winds renew.

[MELIAN]  
I feared as much. You share with him  
A frightful bond to break.  
I warned your father—

[LÚTHIEN]  
What befalls  
My love? please, for my sake!  
What evil holds him in its jail?

[MELIAN]  
One he cannot escape.  
His fate is set. You'd best forget—

[LÚTHIEN] ( _incredulous_ )  
Forget—forget the shape  
Of Love? What madness lies upon  
These lands, that you refuse  
To tell me of my lover's fate  
Or any scrap of news?

[MELIAN]  
My daughter, news to you would bring  
But grief and bitter gloom  
For Beren son of Barahir  
Lies in his ghastly tomb.

[LÚTHIEN]  
You lie! Not yet has he gone past  
The Circles of the World!

[MELIAN]  
Not yet indeed. But I lie not:  
Tho’ Felagund’s song whirled  
And did deflect the lashes of  
The Necromancer’s song,  
The steel may break, the bulwark go  
Down, toppled—all went wrong.  
For Felagund could not alone  
Against the Sorc’rer stand  
Tho’ great the spells and magic were  
He wove with voice and hand.  
Yet Sauron had the mastery.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Yet he is not yet lost.

[MELIAN]  
My daughter…

[LÚTHIEN]  
Hope still shines on him.  
His cage shall melt as frost!

[MELIAN]  
But—

[LÚTHIEN]  
Don’t you see? while he still lives  
There’s time to liberate  
His spirit from the clutches of  
This gruesome, grisly fate!

[MELIAN]  
Perhaps, were Thingol mad enough—  
Or sane, I know no more—  
To save the Man he sent to die  
And dare outside his door  
To march on Sauron’s tower tall  
And then the pass retake  
Of Sirion… but I see not  
A way to make him wake  
From foolish madness. No, I say  
To you, my greatest joy:  
The twelve shall die by Sauron’s hand  
And that includes your boy.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Not only Beren, but the true  
Eleven lie in chains;  
Whose wages for their loyalty  
Is only death and pain!  
This is not just; this is not right,  
That punished should be faith!

[MELIAN]  
My daughter, you are right, but Fear's  
An ever-present wraith.

[LÚTHIEN]  
But also by the ice-chains is  
King Felagund ensnared!  
Shall allies of my father's realm  
Not e'en hope to be spared?

[MELIAN]  
King Thingol shall not now be swayed  
By young kings held by bond,  
Tho' curses wake that long have slept  
In mighty Nargothrond.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _aside to herself, leaving_ )  
I must—I must to Beren go.  
If not for wisdom, love,  
For while I wait no aid shall come  
From here or from above.

[MELIAN] ( _aside, watching Lúthien go_ )  
I feared this day of joy and grief  
In equal parts would come,  
Where I must let my daughter go  
Or else see her succumb  
To grief for losing her belov’d  
To Thingol's foolish moves  
On chessboards made corrupt by pow'r!  
So Fëanor's curse proves  
To be the doom of all our folk;  
So Mandos' words come true!  
For tears unnumbered shall we shed  
To this cursed gem pursue!

[NARRATOR]  
So Lúthien, seeing she will find  
And get no aid from here,  
Prepares to fly from Melian's woods  
To save her lover dear.  
Yet by another suitor is  
She waylaid from her path:  
By Daeron, favoured minstrel of  
The court of Doriath.  
To her he feigns his friendship, and  
Her purpose thus perceives:  
To fly to Beren in his jail  
And his release achieve.  
But filled with fear and wonder at  
The courage of her heart,  
To Thingol he betrays her quest  
That she may not depart!

[THINGOL]  
You tell me she intends to fly  
And wisdom set aside,  
All for this scrappy Man who dared  
Provoke me with his pride;  
That she intends to cast aside  
Her life and kin for love?  
If I knew nothing, I should say  
Cursed we are from above!

[MELIAN] ( _aside, impressed as one is when an exceptionally stupid person approaches the point by accident_ )  
He nears the naked truth! I'll say,  
That I did not expect!

[DAERON]  
Indeed, my lord, she flies toward  
That from which we protect  
Her spirit: for that worthless Man  
Her step now northward flies!

[THINGOL] ( _scowling_ )  
That cursèd Man! who seeks to steal  
My child before my eyes!  
'Tis good that Fortune has seen fit  
To cast him down to die!

[MELIAN]  
Do you forget King Felagund?  
Do you forget the tie  
Of kin that binds the two of you?  
And then there is his realm,  
That mighty Nargothrond that stands  
With shining spear and helm,  
A bulwark 'gainst the Enemy;  
Do you forget this too?

[THINGOL] ( _totally missing the point_ )  
_He_ swore an oath. _I_ swore no oath,  
And this no doubt he knew,  
When he defied my law and chose  
To aid that worthless thief!  
I have no sympathy for him  
Who chose to come to grief!  
( _to Daeron_ )  
Make haste and with my soldiers bring  
My daughter back to me!  
She shall not leave my realm till it  
Is swallowed by the Sea!

[MELIAN] ( _resigned to having to deal with this mess_ )  
I see you shall not from this path  
Be turned. So very well,  
But warned you are that this shall bring  
Upon us Fortune fell.  
Remember this, that Melian  
Did warn you that your pride  
Would bury you in that same grave  
As those you pushed aside!  
Yea, kinslayers! now shall you share  
With them a grisly fate!  
For now united are you all  
In madness and in hate!

[THINGOL]  
Few things are fiercer than the love  
I hold for Lúthien,  
And should I choose 'twixt her and Doom  
I'd choose the Doom again.  
For fathers love their daughters fierce  
Yet fathers do not choose  
Their daughters.

[MELIAN]  
Yet there is a love  
That's called the _letting go_ :  
Let go of her that she may learn  
The world; that she may know  
Its joys, for she is child no more  
And longs to spread her wings.  
But you, my selfish king, would bind  
Her wings, and rather cling  
To days that have gone to the West  
And shall return no more.  
Shall you spend all the flowing years  
Seeking the days before?

[THINGOL] ( _in denial, like the supporters of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named_ )  
In time she shall forget that wretch  
Who came to steal her heart;  
She'll only think of him to say,  
'I'm glad we are apart.'

[MELIAN] ( _à la 'are you really_ this _stupid?'_ )  
Forget you that the Eldar folk  
Love once, and only once?  
Her heart she gave to Beren, for  
Her once and only once.

[THINGOL] ( _equating Beren with Voldemort_ )  
Speak not his name beneath my roof!

[MELIAN]  
_Your_ roof? Who wove the spells  
That hold the Girdle of the woods  
In which King Thingol dwells?  
( _aside_ )  
But we must all drink from our cups,  
Poured by fair, ancient Fate…  
And Fate commands that we should join  
The Ñoldor at Doom's gate.

[THINGOL] ( _a little ashamed, pretending nothing happened in his marriage, to the remaining company_ )  
But that my daughter sees the stars  
And does not fail and fade,  
Go build a house in Neldoreth,  
In Hírilorn's leaf-shade,  
Aloft between the branches, high  
Above the distant ground,  
Where Lúthien shall dwell in peace,  
Her head by starlight crowned!

[MELIAN] ( _aside_ )  
No peace shall she have while her love  
Remains in frozen chains.  
The desperate do desp'rate things;  
Endure the greatest pains  
To save the love that they have lost.  
I see the gath'ring gloom:  
Tho' Doriath's Fall shall not yet come,  
Already wakes the Doom.  
Soon shall be breached my Girdle 'round  
This song-enchanted wood,  
By pow'r of Love and pow'r of Fate  
That cannot be withstood.

[NARRATOR]  
And hence, the tale of Lúthien  
Betrayed by love once more:  
Now brought is she into the house  
Up through its little door,  
And made to dwell where slivers of  
The silver stars and moon  
Shine through at night; and clothed the house  
Is with sunbeams at noon.  
Permitted she is not to leave,  
But Thingol's servants bring  
To her all things that she might need,  
And Daeron to her sings  
In hope that she might turn away  
From Beren, and to him,  
But ever northward does she gaze,  
And hums a mournful hymn  
For Beren whom she loves. And when  
The servants leave, they take  
With them the woven ladder-ropes,  
That Lúthien may not break  
Free from her little prison. And  
To this end they leave too  
A guard to watch, to keep her from  
What she might plan to do.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Now jailed I am in my own home  
For nothing more than love…  
With only Daeron's company  
And Varda's stars above.  
Gone are the ladders, gone the ropes  
That marked the pathway down  
To keep me here against my will  
And in my sorrows drown…

[DAERON]  
My lady, surely, 'tis not so!  
This is for your own good!  
The King does—

[LÚTHIEN] ( _snorting in an impolite, albeit justified, manner_ )  
Daeron. Tho' he's King  
In Melian's Golden Wood,  
No longer am I just a child  
To coddle and protect!

[DAERON]  
My lady, you are right, of course,  
But here I must object—

[LÚTHIEN]  
I saw the rising of the sun,  
Grew up beneath the stars,  
And watched the dying of the Trees  
Of Aman from afar.  
I knew then that we were at war;  
I helped my mother weave  
Th' enchantments circling Doriath  
That trespassers deceive!

[DAERON]  
Yes, skilled you are, my lady, but  
In matters of the heart,  
I fear you are not yet well-versed:  
Hence you cannot depart.  
( _raising only one hand in surrender to not drop his instrument, like any good musician_ )  
Please, hear me out! I mean not to  
Disparage what you feel  
But how can you be sure that what  
You think you feel is real?

[LÚTHIEN]  
You think I know not my own heart?  
I know not my own mind?

[DAERON] ( _paling_ )  
My lady! I mean no such thing!  
( _recovering his nerve_ )  
But mayhap you will find  
That Beren… is not… _right_ for you?

[LÚTHIEN] ( _the wrong snake to step on_ )  
And _what_ , by that, pray tell,  
Mean you?

[DAERON]  
Well, first, he is a Man…

[LÚTHIEN] ( _rolling her eyes_ )  
Not even in my cell  
Can I escape this nonsense-talk!  
He is a Man. So what?

[DAERON] ( _at once pleading and triumphant; mansplaining_ )  
So you two are not meant to be!  
The way to that is shut!  
For you are of the Elven-folk  
And he is but a Man,  
And your life is eternal, while  
His kind's lives only span  
A blink—or less—in Elven eyes.

[LÚTHIEN]  
But I would rather share  
A single lifetime and its joys  
With him, than have to bear  
The Ages of the world alone.

[DAERON]  
You would not be alone.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _sarcastic_ )  
I wouldn't be alone, would I?  
I'd have you—

[DAERON] ( _earnest, in time with Lúthien's 'you'_ )  
Me, yes, your own,  
And friends and kin, and trees and stars  
To smile upon your face,  
For fair you are! and crowned you would  
Be with your lovely grace!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _deadpan_ )  
A life without my one true love.

[DAERON]  
But Lúthien, I love you!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _'did I f—ing ask?'_ )  
I'm sorry for your loss. ( _kinder_ ) Your love  
Is true, but mine is too!  
Our folk love once, and only once:  
My heart has taken wing,  
And shall return to me no more,  
But with a golden ring.

[DAERON] ( _aside, still in denial, like You-Know-Who's lackeys_ )  
They plan to wed. This cannot be!  
This Man who dared provoke  
The King, and Lady Lúthien,  
Most fair of Arda's folk!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _that awkward 'it's time to leave' thing_ )  
The hour of eventide draws near,  
And surely shall the King  
Require your presence in his court  
To counsel and to sing…?

[DAERON] ( _the equally awkward 'I should go'_ )  
Aye, you are right; I must depart,  
But fear not! I'll return  
By rising of the morrow's sun  
To you, to laugh and learn. ( _exit by climbing down the ladder awkwardly_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _letting out a relieved sigh_ )  
Now Daeron's gone, and just remains  
A single guard below  
Till morning when the sun shall shine  
And winds shall softly blow.  
But tho' I seem to friendless be,  
My weaving spells are strong;  
Much have I learned from Melian  
My mother, of the Song.  
Come time it has to play this game!  
Not quite of changing shape,  
But just of covering with mist  
The details of escape!  
( _bringing her hair over her shoulder and singing to it, watching as it grows longer and longer_ )  
Do you recall the children's tales  
Of princesses in tow'rs,  
Who let their hair, its yards and yards  
Fall down between the hours  
Of dusk and dawn, to let their dear  
Devoted princes climb  
Up to their prisons, stealing for  
Each other precious time?  
This I remember from my youth  
When only stars did shine—  
No moon, no sun in Arda's skies—  
With silver, sparkling line.  
Back then I used to wish a prince  
Would sweep me off my feet,  
And then, together, we would taste  
The fruits of romance sweet.  
Well, now the places are reversed!  
The princess lets her hair  
Fall down and put the guard to sleep  
That he is not aware  
That she has left her gilded cage!  
For prisons still they are,  
Tho' lined with gold and soft with song  
And silver-shining star.  
( _singing to the length of hair_ )  
Entrance your jailors with the spell  
Of wondrous, freeing sleep;  
Of dreams of meadows sweet and green,  
Where loved ones never weep;  
Of dreams of glittering blue lakes.

[GUARD] ( _yawning_ )  
What's that?

[LÚTHIEN] (sweetly, letting down her hair)  
Oh, nothing. ( _to herself_ ) Now  
When he's asleep, I'll step outside  
And climb from bough to bough,  
Then fly 'neath cover of the night  
And cover of the cloak  
I fashioned from my hair, and free  
My Beren of the yoke  
That binds him in Tol Sirion.  
I am no soldier brave,  
Nor any seasoned hero, but  
That weakness to me gave  
Reward! For Sauron would expect  
A rescue party to  
Come armed with sword and bow to fight,  
And not a maid who flew  
With nothing but her cloak and song  
To save her star-crossed love…  
But fierce in her protection of  
Her love can be a dove.

[NARRATOR]  
Now Lúthien's spell sets closed the eyes  
Of that poor, luckless guard  
And sends him to a distant land  
To walk in flowered yards.  
And our enchantress slips away  
Without a whispered sound;  
She flies beneath the shield of night,  
Feet soft upon the ground.  
The autumn leaves make way for her,  
In red and gold and brown,  
For Neldoreth sees Lúthien,  
The jewel of Doriath's crown!  
Ere rising of young Dawn with her  
Rose-tinted fingers on  
The far horizon, Doriath finds  
Fair Lady Lúthien gone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daeron is... needs to back off a little i think. he's not really doing anything wrong per se, but he's kinda. annoying. gonna leave it there.
> 
> anyway, thank you for reading! thoughts? comments and kudos validate me! ~~healthy coping mechanisms? don't know her~~ you can also come talk to me on my tumblr @[fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino)!


	6. Canto VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lúthien's capture by Celegorm and Curufin, and the beginning of her time in Nargothrond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was originally going to have a bit at the end about orodreth and c&c's nargothrond (ie what the politics were like), but then that got too long, so that will be chapter 7!

[NARRATOR]  
So Lúthien flies with limber wing  
And fleet foot to the Plain  
That lies 'twixt Teiglin and Narog  
In Nargothrond's domain.  
But Þauron, little tho' he knows,  
Has sent his wolves to spy  
Upon the Guarded Plain, to find  
The weakness in the lie  
His captives fed to him. Of this  
Have Celegorm the Fair  
And Curufin his brother shrewd  
Just now become aware.  
Who rides? They do! this morning ere  
The sun may rise they ride;  
They take their spears and take their bows  
To hunt cruel Þauron's pride!

[CURUFIN]  
Perhaps some tidings shall we hear  
Of dear King Felagund—  
Well, _former_ king—from Þauron’s thralls  
Of likely death or wound.

[CELEGORM]  
What use have we for tidings when  
We sent him to his death?  
He’s doomed. Who cares to know the time  
He draws his final breath?

[CURUFIN] ( _with an all-teeth smile_ )  
No news is good. Remember that  
No news is good for _him_.  
If we hear talk of Finrod, then  
That means his plight is grim.

[CELEGORM] ( _in time with Curufin_ )  
That mean his plight is grim.

( _they sight many wolves._ )

[CURUFIN] ( _riding alongside Celegorm_ )  
This bodes ill. First does Felagund  
The Fool forsake his realm  
To keep an oath he should forget,  
Then leaves he at the helm  
Of Nargothrond that foolish youth  
Who knows not how to rule!  
And all to aid that love-struck Man  
To steal from us the jewel!

[CELEGORM] ( _not realizing the irony of his words_ )  
Some evil stirs now in our lands,  
Disturbs the Guarded Plain;  
The wolves of Þauron roam the grass,  
To Nargothrond enchain.  
And Orodreth, unworthiest  
Of all to take the throne,  
Presumes to think that he may rule  
A fortress built in stone!

[CURUFIN]  
No thoughts has he that are his own  
In making—not e’en one,  
For frail of mind and weak of heart  
Is Angrod’s only son.  
Well, never let us say that Fate  
Cannot conceive a joke!

[CELEGORM]  
Speak plainly! patience runs thin at  
Your obfuscating smoke!

[CURUFIN] ( _speaking slowly and clearly, as if to a slow child_ )  
Well, Orodreth is irony.  
For how else may the slave  
To whims of others take the place  
Of the free and the brave?  
( _regular speech_ )  
But Irony is easy to  
Defeat, for she is weak  
And fickle, like her sister—are  
You list’ning to me speak?

[CELEGORM] ( _pointing with a knife and clearly not listening_ )  
Look over there. Across the Plain.  
If I do see aright,  
I see a figure, stumbling, cloaked:  
A maiden in her flight!

[CURUFIN]  
A maiden? on the Guarded Plain?  
You jest. There’s no Elf-maid  
So foolish as to risk the Orcs  
That Morgoth’s cruelty made!

[CELEGORM]  
Perhaps you need your glasses, for  
I think you’ll lose this game!  
Go, Huan, and bring her back that we  
May learn her will and name!

( _Huan looks at Celegorm suspiciously before going, because he can see bad things—although unspecific—in the future. No, I don't know how to show this either._ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _across the plain, on Huan's approach_ )  
My! who are you, my little—well,  
Not really _little_ friend?  
You have a look unlike those beasts  
That prowl for Sauron's ends!  
What are you doing in these plains  
Now ruled by evil brutes?  
For surely you are not to aid  
Them in their cruel pursuits!

( _Huan indicates that she is to follow him_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _following_ )  
Where do you lead me to, my friend?  
Have you a master kind  
Who might lend to a maiden lost,  
In need, his aid to find  
Her lover, who now lies in chains,  
Condemned to death and grief?  
For sure your worthy master would  
Help bring him some relief!  
( _giving him ear scritches_ )  
You have a noble air about  
You, Hound of footfall fleet!  
( _approaching Celegorm and Curufin, taking off her hood_ )  
I see them now, the Elf-lords tall  
That Fear shall not defeat!  
Good morn, my lords! how fare you?

[CELEGORM] ( _cat got his tongue_ )  
Um.

[CURUFIN] ( _elbowing him_ )  
He means, my lady fair,  
That we are well. And you yourself?  
( _aside to Celegorm_ )  
You bring me to despair!  
Are you in _love_?!

[CELEGORM] ( _still staring at Lúthien_ )  
Um. ( _faintly_ ) Yes.

[CURUFIN]  
You fool!  
…But this may help our goal.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _shrugging_ )  
All right. I could be better, but  
That I can't control.  
Who are you, lords? where hail you from?  
And this young hound of war?  
Knew I no better, I should say  
He hails from Valinor!

[CELEGORM] ( _recovering to talk about his dog_ )  
In fact, my lady fair, he does!  
Huan, Hound of Valinor!  
A gift from Huntsman Oromë  
On distant western shores!

[LÚTHIEN]  
Indeed, he has the look of it!  
Such features fair and bright!

[CELEGORM] ( _proudly_ )  
The finest hound in all the world,  
Invincible in might!

[CURUFIN]  
And he's named 'Hound.' He's Hound the Hound.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _reproachfully, before Celegorm can react_ )  
At least he has a name,  
Good sir with unknown name of yet.

[CURUFIN] ( _muttering sarcastically_ )  
Your wit puts me to shame.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _cheerfully_ )  
What's that?

[CURUFIN]  
Our names are Celegorm  
And Curufin, who hail  
From mighty Nargothrond that hides  
Beneath enchanted veil.  
High princes of the Ñoldor are  
We, and to Morgoth foes;  
We came to hunt vile Þauron's wolves  
Ere Arien arose.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Vile Þauron? I've not heard that name…  
Oh! _Sauron_ , yes, I know.  
Your pardon, for your accent makes  
Some understanding slow.  
But glad I am to know your names  
And that we share a foe!  
For I am Lúthien, daughter of  
King Thingol, whom you know,  
Of Doriath. I come to ask  
For aid to save my love,  
Bold Beren of Dorthonion  
Whose only crime was love.

[CURUFIN]  
My lady, I know not if we  
May give the aid you seek—

[CELEGORM] ( _somewhat plotting idiot in love_ )  
Of course we may! Return with us  
To home and let us speak,  
For you shall find in Nargothrond  
Whatever aid you need.  
For tho' King Felagund is gone,  
His nephew shares his creed:  
To aid the foes of Morgoth in  
Whatever they devise.  
So come! a horse you'll share with me!  
( _aside_ )  
A lovely, matchless prize!

( _Lúthien climbs onto Celegorm's horse, sitting_ in front _of him and they set off for Nargothrond_.)

[CURUFIN] ( _aside_ )  
I see a problem that may rise  
From Lúthien's headstrong mind,  
And Celegorm's halfwitted trust  
And love that keeps him blind  
To what she plots. To save her love!  
That mortal who would steal  
What rightfully is Fëanor's,  
And to us she appeals!  
Does she know not that helping him  
Retrieve the gems of light  
Would seal the closing of our tombs  
And sentence us to Night?  
And then of problems there's one more:  
The question of the king,  
For who knows what mess the return  
Of Felagund shall bring?  
A first: our influence shall dim,  
For he'll retake the throne,  
And since we overthrew his pow'r,  
No favour shall be shown  
To us, the princes who should rule!  
But more importantly:  
If he returns, he may return  
With in his hand the key  
To civil war—to total war  
In all Beleriand,  
For with the Silmaril, we are  
Bound by the Oath's demand!

[CELEGORM] ( _to Lúthien_ )  
So tell me of this rescue you  
Are planning to attempt.  
Who is this Beren? what's he done  
To be in the contempt  
Of Thingol?

[LÚTHIEN]  
Then have you heard not  
That Beren lately went  
To challenge Morgoth, for the sake  
Of winning the consent  
Of Thingol for our marriage? For  
When Beren asked my hand,  
King Thingol set the bride-price high,  
And this was his command:  
'Then go, I say, to Angband's halls  
And tear from Morgoth's crown  
A Silmaril, then tho' I shall  
Still on your union frown;  
If Lúthien will, she'll set her hand  
In yours that held the jewel—'  
As a reward for braving the  
Night-Demon in a duel!

[CELEGORM]  
A price indeed. But hardly worth  
Such a reward as you,  
So fair and kind that for your love  
There's nothing one won't do.

[CURUFIN] ( _hissing to Celegorm_ )  
Be subtle!

[LÚTHIEN]  
Well, I thank you well,  
But I heard from the Queen  
Of Doriath that Beren had  
In Nargothrond been seen,  
For came he here to call a debt  
Betokened by his ring,  
And asked for aid on his campaign  
From Felagund the King.

[CURUFIN] ( _pretending to have an 'aha!' moment_ )  
That must be why King Finrod left  
So suddenly in haste,  
To aid your promised on his quest  
To Angband's icy wastes.  
( _cunning_ )  
Then know you more of what befalls  
Them on their risky road?  
No news have we had of our king  
Since from our gates he strode!

[LÚTHIEN]  
I fear I've little news for you  
And only tidings ill,  
For Felagund with Beren is  
Held under Sauron's will.

[CELEGORM]  
In Tol-in-Gaurhoth?

[CURUFIN] ( _correcting Celegorm_ )  
_Sirion_.  
( _to Lúthien, apologetically_ )  
We do not recognize  
The claim of Þauron to the fort  
Which on the island lies.  
But have you any other news  
Of Finrod fair and dear?  
For dear to us is he, the king  
Who never knew a fear.

[LÚTHIEN]  
None, I'm afraid, but that he wove  
Great spells with voice and hand,  
But 'gainst the pow'r of Sauron, no  
Enchantment his could stand.

( _Celegorm and Curufin speak aside to one another_ )

[CURUFIN]  
That bodes both ill and well. But for  
The present, mostly well,  
For none shall wish to march to war  
If even Finrod fell  
To Þauron's power.

[CELEGORM]  
So we win.

[CURUFIN]  
Not yet. You see her cloak?

[CELEGORM]  
That scrap, perhaps traditional  
Of Doriath's simple folk?

[CURUFIN]  
Observe. For it's imbued with pow'r—  
Of what, I cannot tell—  
But I would wager Lúthien has  
Bewitched it with a spell  
That aids her flight. How else would she  
Escape from Thingol's hold  
When he does guard her jealously  
As more esteemed than gold?

[CELEGORM]  
She cannot keep it.

[CURUFIN]  
No, indeed.  
As we approach the gates,  
We'll take it, that she may not leave  
The prison that awaits.

[CELEGORM] ( _protesting_ )  
It's not a prison. 'Least it won't  
Be when I win her hand.

[CURUFIN] ( _rolling his eyes_ )  
Good luck with that. But up till then  
She will not understand  
That what we do is only what  
We know is best for her.  
And thus she may be dangerous.  
With this do you concur?  
( _at Celegorm's nod, pointing ahead_ )  
So in that clearing, you will hold  
Her fast, and I shall break  
From ‘round her neck the magic cloak  
And thus her power take!

[NARRATOR]  
And this they do, the scoundrels sly,  
With reassuring charm:  
They reach a glade, dismount their rides,  
And Lúthien finds her arms  
Behind her back, pinned by the lord  
Who feigned to her goodwill!  
And Curufin the Crafty, while  
His brother holds her still,  
Does tear the cloak from Lúthien's throat—  
The cloak that holds her pow'r,  
That gathers it and lets it grow,  
Whose strength is like a tow'r.  
Now swift does Curufin the Sly  
Remount his horse, the cloak  
Clutched in his hand, and ride to meet  
His murdered cousin's folk!  
His brother Celegorm does wait  
Of minutes two or three,  
Then he too rides home with his prize,  
Who fights but cannot flee.  
Poor Lúthien! who finds herself  
For love betrayed once more!  
—But was not Felagund well-loved  
Inside his city's door?

( _arriving in the city, Celegorm and Curufin march Lúthien through the halls, glaring anyone who tries to approach down_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _fighting their grip_ )  
Please! let me go! what have I done  
That warrants being held,  
_Imprisoned_ here against my will,  
My liberty withheld?

[CURUFIN]  
My lady, please, don't make a fuss.  
We have your interests  
At heart. ( _to observers_ ) I'm sorry, she's a bit…  
_Unbalanced_ , as suggests  
Her mood and her resistance to  
Our leading her.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Indeed!  
I do resist your shameless acts;  
Demand that I be freed!  
( _to observers_ )  
Please! help me! I have done no wrong  
To any in these lands!  
Please, help me now! release me from  
Your lords' deceitful hands!

[CELEGORM]  
My lady fair—

[LÚTHIEN]  
Don't touch me! let  
Me go!

[CURUFIN]  
My lady! please!  
Do calm yourself, for all our sakes,  
And try to stay at ease!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _laughing hysterically_ )  
What! calm myself?! and stay at ease?!  
When you've abducted me?!  
Why don't you try this: feel some guilt  
And shame yourselves, then see  
If I should be the one at fault,  
Or you are in the wrong!  
( _beginning to sing_ )  
You claim your honour binds you to  
The keeping of the Oath,  
But when it comes to giving aid  
To maidens you are loath  
To do what honour does demand—

[CELEGORM] ( _that look little kids have when they realize they did something bad_ )  
Perhaps she's right; we shouldn't have—

[CURUFIN] ( _to a random observer_ )  
You! fetch a healer now!  
( _to his brother_ )  
Snap out of it! She weaves a spell  
Of song that would allow  
Her to escape once we're bewitched!  
( _to the observer_ )  
And have them bring a dose  
Of something that will bring her song  
Of madness to a close!  
( _to everyone_ )  
Hey! close your ears! the lady's mad  
And singing seeks to bind  
You to her song of deep regrets  
That she may flee and find  
Cruel Þauron in his fortress strong!  
Yea, Þauron! for she would  
Retrieve the Man who stole our king  
And sealed his fate for good!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _continuing to sing_ )  
I asked for aid to save my love,  
And how did you respond?  
With shameless laughter as you held  
Me helpless with the bond  
Of _your_ hands, Celegorm, and _you_ ,  
Sly Curufin, did tear  
From me my cloak, the humble, plain  
Token of home I wear!  
Have you no shame? to steal a maid  
Who wandered on the Plain,  
Whose only crime was love, who would  
Have braved both death and pain;  
And trapped her in a cage? How dare  
You speak of honour, you  
Who _killed_ your virtue, _killed_ your worth  
When you stole me and flew!

[CURUFIN] ( _'pleading'_ )  
My lady, please be sensible!  
If not, we'll have no choice  
But that of putting you to sleep  
And silencing your voice.  
( _pause, then sweetly menacing_ )  
Just for your safety. What's your choice?

[LÚTHIEN] ( _aside_ )  
I stop—I lose my chance.  
I sing—I get sedated, and  
Not even get a glance  
At all the twisting halls and stairs  
That map this city-maze.  
And then, not knowing how I came  
To where I am, the ways  
That trace the path of my escape  
Shall be a mystery!  
( _to Curufin, her words clipped_ )  
I see your threat. You win this round;  
I'll follow peacefully.

[CURUFIN] ( _relief_ )  
I thank you. Now we'll bring you to  
Your quarters, which you'll find  
Not cage-like, but enjoyable  
And pleasantly designed.

[LÚTHIEN]  
A gilded cage is still a cage.  
( _to Celegorm_ )  
Will you return my cloak?

[CURUFIN] ( _seeing Celegorm look like a deer in headlights_ )  
Apologies, my lady, but  
We can't let you invoke  
Your power in your current state.  
It's reckless to invoke.  
( _leaning in so others cannot hear_ )  
We both know it is more than just  
A token of your folk.

[NARRATOR]  
So Lúthien, with no other choice,  
Subsides with but a glare  
At Curufin, who shrugs, and keeps  
The cloak made of her hair.  
Then follows she fair Celegorm,  
Who hopes to win her hand,  
And by this manage to unite  
Much of the Elven lands  
Against the Enemy, and thus  
The Silmarils regain!  
But still a wrinkle in the plan  
Of 'genius' does remain…  
For now approaches Orodreth,  
The Steward of the throne,  
Who shall pose a unique threat, once  
Of Finrod news is known…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> curufin's really a piece of work, isn't he?
> 
> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are appreciated!! (my tumblr: @[fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino)!)


	7. Canto VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as alluded to in chapter 6, the debate between curufin and orodreth! naturally... well, you'll see. suffice it to say curufin isn't called 'the crafty' for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aye ok so i've been having these awful migraines lately (seems to be letting up now tho, praise the lord) and that may be why some of this chapter *might* sound a bit... er, strange. don't worry, canon is still largely adhered to! technically, jirt didn't say this _isn't_ how it works, so :)

[NARRATOR]  
Now Orodreth the Steward does  
Stand forth now, having seen  
The last of what transpired with  
Fair Lúthien in this scene.  
All ears now sharpen hearing, and  
All eyes their subtle sight,  
For this shall be the contest of  
Both craftiness and might  
That settle shall the quarrel 'twixt  
The host of Finrod gone,  
And Fëanor's host, till the one  
Or other has withdrawn.  
By Anar's sinking in the sky  
The places shall be set:  
For one—and only one—to rule  
And one to be a threat.

[ORODRETH] ( _entering, 'what the f—?' on his face_ )  
What happened here?

[CURUFIN] ( _shrugging_ )  
Not much, just helped  
A maiden mad with fear  
Of what befalls her luckless love.  
( _sighing_ )  
Ai, tragic Lúthien dear!

[ORODRETH]  
And how came she into our realm?  
How did she find the gates?

[CURUFIN] ( _shrugging again_ )  
We brought her.

[ORODRETH]  
Then have you no clue  
What trouble now awaits?  
King Thingol holds for us no love,  
And now you hold in jail  
His daughter, dearest of all things  
To him, and he won't quail  
From marching on our Nargothrond  
With all his strength in war.

[CURUFIN]  
You've too much faith in Thingol. He  
Won't dare outside his door.  
And he will thank us when we turn  
His daughter from that Man.

[ORODRETH]  
And how shall you accomplish this?

[CURUFIN]  
Think of the simplest plan  
And you shall hit upon our scheme.  
( _mocking_ )  
But thinking might be hard  
For one with duties as you do  
To watch over and guard  
Our city till our king returns,  
( _as if just remembering something_ )  
Of whom we… have some news.

[ORODRETH] ( _anxious and eager_ )  
What news of Felagund?

[CURUFIN] ( _waving him off_ )  
You'll hear  
It later, if you choose.  
Now first, the plan! It's beautiful  
In its simplicity:  
My brother Celegorm will woo  
The lady till she sees  
That he, by far, is better for  
A maiden of her sort  
Than Beren, who should only be  
Her very last resort.

[ORODRETH] ( _pressing him_ )  
What news of Finrod Felagund?

[CURUFIN]  
Peace! patience! But all right.  
( _adopting a mournful tone_ )  
Tol Sirion is where he found  
Defeat by Þauron's might.

[ORODRETH] ( _hushed_ )  
Is Finrod—

[CURUFIN]  
Dead? Not yet, but he  
For sure is doomed to die!  
This said by Lúthien herself  
With mournful, tired sigh!

[ORODRETH]  
His fate is not hewed into stone  
As long as he draws breath.

[CURUFIN]  
And _what_ , my nephew, shall we do  
To keep him from his death?  
How can we stand 'gainst Þauron when  
E'en Felagund did fall?  
He has no hope but that he should  
Die free, and not a thrall.

[ORODRETH] ( _sharply_ )  
He has no hope, for you refused  
To show him any aid  
In thanks to him. Now he is doomed  
And all your debts unpaid.

[CURUFIN]  
Now nephew dear, be sensible,  
For we have not the pow'r  
Of arms or magic to assault  
Cruel Þauron in his tow'r.  
This is the reason I had said  
'King Felagund, beware,'  
Yet he would not receive my words,  
And now is in despair.  
( _to everyone verbally and visually eavesdropping_ )  
So let this be a warning to  
The folk of Nargothrond!  
If even Finrod, strongest of  
Our folk, cannot respond  
To Þauron's might, what hope have we  
To 'gainst his power stand?  
We'd only pile the dirt upon  
Our graves with our own hands.

[ORODRETH]  
I know the fort of Sirion.  
We have here Elves who built  
The fortress, and who fought for it.  
Would not the odds then tilt  
To favour us?

[CURUFIN]  
Who holds the edge:  
Th’ attack or the defence?  
A _fortress_ is Tol Sirion  
With battlements immense,  
That those like us, who have not strength  
Unbounded, cannot hope  
To breach. And more, the tow'r is built  
Upon an upward slope!  
Does this not spell for you defeat,  
Young Steward of the throne?  
Do you not fear to see the Elves  
You lead stripped to the bone?

( _the folk of Nargothrond whisper among themselves_ )

[ELF] ( _to a companion_ )  
We cannot mount a challenge 'gainst  
The one who shuns the sun.  
Was not e'en Orodreth subdued  
By him, and forced to run?

[CURUFIN] ( _scheming_ )  
Well-spoken! for tho' Orodreth  
Was conquered on his isle,  
'Twas not through any fault of his,  
But that his foes hostile  
Had strength of arms unmatchable.  
( _to Orodreth_ )  
See you why it's unwise  
To challenge Þauron in his fort,  
No matter what the prize?  
It pains me, truly, wrings my heart  
To leave our king to pain  
And death at Þauron's vicious hands,  
But there he must remain.

[ORODRETH] ( _through his teeth_ )  
And if he breaks? If Finrod breaks  
No war could we then wage!  
He breaks—he talks, reveals our strength,  
Routine, and sets the stage  
For Morgoth’s host to mount a coup  
And sack our citadel!  
He breaks—he puts us on the map  
And bids us say farewell  
To peace and refuge from the Mirk;  
And this you would support?  
This madness, leaving he who knows  
Each secret of our fort  
To match his will against the skill  
Of Morgoth’s torturer?  
If you think this, then I should say  
Some ancient curse does stir!

[CURUFIN] ( _scoffing nervously_ )  
No curse does stir, child, calm your mind,  
Nor shall dear Finrod break;  
He holds his honour dearer than  
Whate'er Þauron may take  
From him: for he fears neither death  
Nor pain, nor fear itself.

[ORODRETH]  
Perhaps, but there is more to fear  
Than pain or fear itself:  
What do you think, my crafty lord,  
Is there in Sauron's name?  
Why do you think we Elves should fear  
The Necromancer’s fame?

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _speaking up despite his father’s glare, fearing the answer_ )  
What do you mean?

[ORODRETH] (not unkindly)  
I think you know.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
I do.

[ELF] ( _a member of the Fëanorian camp_ )  
Explain your words!  
You speak in riddles, through your teeth,  
That we have only heard  
But cannot understand your code.

[ORODRETH] ( _before Curufin can object_ )  
Think of the cruelty  
Of Sauron’s hand, that you have heard  
From former thralls now free:  
This is what threatens, torments, plagues  
The fellowship in chains.  
Now think of _Necromancer_ and  
What meaning it does hold:  
To resurrect from Death’s embrace,  
Restore the life gone cold.  
Now tally up the things you know.  
What answer do you get?  
This promise: they shall live despite  
All torment that is set  
For them. To die for loyalty  
But to breathe once again?  
To keep the faith but to awake  
Upon the rack again?  
( _to everyone_ )  
I tell you true, our secrets shall  
Not stay forever sealed,  
For e'en the faithful may lose faith;  
The steadfast too may yield.

[CURUFIN]  
You think King Finrod to be weak?  
You think that he will fail  
And break as not e'en Maedhros broke  
In Morgoth's icy jail?

[ORODRETH]  
But Maedhros precious little knew  
Of other Elven-lands;  
He had not much that could be wrung  
From him by Sauron's hands.

[CURUFIN] ( _sarcastic_ )  
Except the secrets of his host  
And details of his folk,  
Except his fealty! ( _not sarcastic_ ) Why think you  
Does Morgoth wish he broke?  
Because if Maedhros broke and swore  
To Morgoth loyalty,  
No Elf or Aftercomer in  
These lands would yet be free!  
( _throwing shade_ )  
Perhaps if _you_ were in the place  
Of Felagund our king  
Your panic would betray us all,  
And bird-like you would sing  
Our secrets to the Lord of Lies!  
But for my part, I trust  
In Felagund the Faithful, for  
_He_ will do what is just!

[ORODRETH]  
I did not mean to minimize  
The valour that was shown  
By Maedhros, but then little of,  
Say, Doriath was known.  
And I too trust in Finrod's faith,  
But is 't not also true  
That for each captive there shall come  
A point at which they'll do  
Whatever may be asked of them,  
If only so they may  
Escape the torment of this life,  
Let Death fly them away?  
If not today, then on the next,  
And if not even then,  
Then in a week, a month, a year—  
The question's only _when_.  
And 'long as Finrod does remain  
In Sauron's wicked hands,  
Then always there shall be the threat  
Of ruin in these lands.

[NARRATOR]  
Now Curufin does take his time  
To formulate reply,  
For missteps now may fan the flames  
Of discontent, just shy  
Of public outcry at the sons  
Of Fëanor, who seek  
To leave their king to perish on  
That island dark and bleak.  
Yet if the wordsmith manages  
To twist the truth enough,  
He shall succeed in swaying the  
Capricious, to rebuff  
Th' appeal to reason Orodreth  
The Steward does now bring  
To this debate, in effort to  
Save Felagund the King.

[CURUFIN] ( _lying with a grain of truth_ )  
But little, nephew, do you know  
Of Finrod's pow'r in song  
That yet may save him in his pain  
Or 'least it not prolong…

[ORODRETH] ( _suspicious_ )  
What mean you?

[CURUFIN] ( _lying some more with more grains of truth_ )  
Orodreth, I mean  
That he may extricate  
Himself from chain, illusion, _life_  
And fly to Mandos' gate  
If need be. Now, that changes things.  
( _confident lying with those grains of truth_ )  
For tho' I hate to doom  
Him to a punishment not earned  
In Þauron's bitter gloom,  
So long has he his mastery  
Of song, so long has he  
The power in his voice and heart  
To sing his spirit free.

( _the listeners nod along, wanting to believe Curufin_ )

[ORODRETH] (more suspicious)  
And why has this miraculous…  
Skill ne'er been told before?

[CURUFIN] ( _solemn lying_ )  
Well, for a first, we had no need  
For it until this war,  
So not till very recent times  
Did we discover it.

( _the listeners nod, this seeming reasonable_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _continuing to lie_ )  
And there is not much I can tell  
Of this skill, I admit.  
In sooth, we still know little of  
Its mechanism, and  
Its purpose—out of war, that is—  
But this we understand:  
That only a specific few  
With special gift and skill  
For song may learn to bend the Song  
In this way to their will.

( _the listeners believe him, more or less_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _some more lying_ )  
And then we wonder, what affairs  
Should it be used upon?  
For, as you know, use it too much  
And Morgoth catches on.  
And then to counter it, he'll find  
With Þauron's aid, a way  
To bar our spirits from the Halls  
And then we'd dearly pay.  
That this, for now, may secret stay,  
Among us few may know,  
But Finrod knows, and I would guess  
He'll use it ere the snow.

( _almost everyone is on Curufin's side; apparently the lying—mixed with words of power, of course—works_ )

[ORODRETH] ( _still a little sceptical_ )  
Do you know how to use it, lord?

[CURUFIN] ( _nervous, self-deprecating laughter_ )  
No, I have not the skill.  
( _looking up for comedic effect_ )  
Nor Celegorm, as we'd expect…

( _he gets smiles and muffled chuckles from the listeners_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _serious again_ )  
Now, Steward, do you still  
Propose to march and start a war  
You know you cannot win,  
Knowing this that you do? ( _to the people_ ) I think  
Our people might begin  
To wonder if it's sensible…

[ORODRETH] ( _reluctant_ )  
Indeed.

[CURUFIN] ( _with a saccharine smile_ )  
_Indeed_.

[ORODRETH]  
I shall  
Not ever force an Elf to fight  
While I command this hall. ( _exit_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _falsely altruistic_ )  
Well, I am glad the matter is  
Now settled: safe and sound  
Shall we and all of Nargothrond  
Remain here, underground.  
( _aside_ )  
Tho' Orodreth does make a point  
That raises some alarm…  
( _with resolve_ )  
Yet I wish not to by _my_ hand  
Do my kin any harm.  
( _the first time he shows guilt or regret_ )  
The Oath, the fatal Oath, drives all  
Who touch it to their doom…  
Was Finrod right? for now I see  
The Shadow start to loom…

[NARRATOR]  
But still too late is Curufin  
To read the warning signs;  
What he has named the dawning of  
The Shadow's creeping lines  
Is truly the eleventh hour  
To right the course of Doom.  
Yet he cannot! can only heap  
The dirt on his own tomb.  
The Oath drives him! the Silmarils,  
Ill-fated gems of light,  
Have blinded him to Doom's approach,  
To the approach of Night!  
And Orodreth, the Steward to  
Unhappy Finrod's throne,  
Has found his people have succumbed  
To fear and panic sown  
By Curufin, who on command  
Of Doom, did now betray  
His cousin. Now the faithful can  
But watch, and wait, and pray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> curufin's new name, from chapter 8 onwards, shall be scheming little bitch, methinks. it even works with iambic metre!
> 
> not really sure how much i like this chapter... i sort of came up with most of it in a hurry because i was studying for my music analysis exam yesterday. let me know what you think in the comments! (my tumblr: [fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino))
> 
> (ps i know i haven't been very good at replying to comments lately--if you've left a comment, i have seen it and appreciate it very much!! i'm just. bad at life rn haha, i _will_ be getting back to you!)


	8. Canto VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> celegorm 'urging his suit' to thingol (hint: it isn't as smooth as you think) and luthien's escape from nargothrond.
> 
> cue celegorm: sHe StOlE mY dOg!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops so this is like. almost a week late. i'm sorry! things like school (the provincial government is a bunch of monkeys and the school board's plans are. half-baked) and work got in the way. plus, i got a girlfriend!! :D
> 
> enjoy!!

[NARRATOR]  
Entreated has dear Lúthien been  
By Celegorm the Fair  
To leave all hope for Beren in  
Cruel Þauron's gloomy lair,  
But she will not! she will resist,  
Will not renounce her heart,  
For ever has her vow been true:  
'Not till death do us part.'  
And at each turn, she tries to sway  
The folk of Nargothrond  
To sympathy for her and their  
True king who kept his bond.  
Yet Curufin the Crafty has  
Another trap to spring,  
To win more pow'r and allies with  
A plan to set in swing.

[CURUFIN]  
I have a plan. A good one, too,  
To get what we desire:  
For you, your lady fair; for me  
The treaties we require;  
For both of us, the power of  
Three mighty Elven realms,  
With which we on Angband march  
And Morgoth overwhelm.

[CELEGORM]  
And win the sacred Silmarils!

[CURUFIN]  
Yes, and exact revenge  
On Morgoth for his evil deeds,  
And Fëanor avenge!

[CELEGORM] ( _dreamy_ )  
And win to me the fairest of  
All maids to ever dance  
With silver foot on shimm'ring green…

[CURUFIN] ( _rolling his eyes_ )  
Yes, win you your romance.  
Now listen closely. This is what  
The plan shall have us do:  
We force the king of Doriath  
To give her hand to you.  
Then by this means, we shall unite  
The crowns of Nargothrond,  
And Doriath, and Himring! Clear  
Shall be the path beyond:  
To breaking through the battlements  
Of Angband, with the force  
Of arms and valour we shall have,  
And killing at the source  
The evil that now plagues our lands,  
And poisons our pursuits.  
What say you, brother mine, to this,  
Have you any disputes?

[CELEGORM] ( _in awe_ )  
No, none at all, but I should like  
To know exactly how  
We are to force King Thingol to—

[CURUFIN]  
To this marriage allow?  
( _devious_ )  
Leave that to me, and you shall see.  
First fetch for me a quill  
And parchment, then just stand and watch  
The trap close for the kill.

[NARRATOR]  
The dastards! this is what they do:  
They write, they twist, they lie,  
And summon all the guile they can,  
That Thingol won't deny  
Them their despicable demands  
For fear of other deeds  
Thought greater in dishonour and  
Disgrace in their proceeds.

[CURUFIN] ( _as he writes_ )  
In view that Celegorm is not  
A base, unworthy Man,  
And that he rescued Lúthien  
From her idiotic plan—

[CELEGORM] ( _protesting_ )  
She's not an idiot! Insane,  
Perhaps, or foolhardy,  
But don't insult her intellect  
By saying 'idiocy!'

[CURUFIN] ( _sighing and crossing out the previous line_ )  
And that he rescued Lúthien  
From her insanity,  
For she would have pursued that Man  
To great calamity,  
For Þauron would have taken her  
And locked her in her tomb!  
As thanks that Celegorm did save  
Your daughter from this doom,  
He will accept her hand with grace  
As his deserved reward.  
( _to Celegorm_ )  
How's that? ( _at Celegorm's nod_ ) And now for warning words  
That cannot be ignored—

[CELEGORM] ( _suggesting_ )  
If you refuse, just wait and watch  
For banners with the star  
Of Fëanor, and tremble as  
Our host comes from afar  
To make you bleed for insolence!  
For we shall bow to none,  
And least of all a coward-king,  
A fool who chose to shun  
The tongue and might of those who came  
To aid him in his need!  
So choose: for peace by union, or  
For war and wicked deeds!

[CURUFIN] ( _looking at Celegorm appraisingly_ )  
No, too abrupt. Too violent.  
Now let me try my hand.  
No quarter, but some subtlety  
You would not understand.  
( _writing_ )  
If you agree not with this course  
Then by all means refuse,  
But then you give offence to us,  
Which we, of course, must choose  
To… well, confront. Long have we borne  
Your insolence with grace,  
But soon the repercussions of  
Your insults you shall face.  
For you should know that Felagund,  
Who formerly did rule  
In Nargothrond, has fallen to  
The might of Þauron cruel.  
So now with Orodreth we rule  
And look to Doriath,  
For you are he who killed our king  
To satisfy your wrath!  
You are outmatched, King Thingol of  
The spellbound Golden Wood,  
By Nargothrond—and Himring. This  
I trust is understood?  
—Of course, all this you may avert  
By granting our request.  
Then on your folk we'll kindly look,  
And lay all wrongs to rest.  
(to Celegorm)  
How's that?

[CELEGORM] ( _making a sound of assent_ )  
A matchless wordsmith are  
You, brother dear of mine.  
I think, with warnings such as these,  
Fool Thingol must resign  
Himself to union 'twixt our realms,  
And cede his jealous pow'r  
To us, who are by far more fit  
To rule in such an hour!

[CURUFIN] ( _admiring his handiwork_ )  
I thought the note of Finrod's fate  
(May Námo rest his soul)  
And Thingol's role in it did add  
A nice touch to the toll  
This letter should on Thingol take.

[CELEGORM]  
No more than he deserves.

[CURUFIN]  
Who, Felagund or Thingol?

[CELEGORM]  
Both.  
They both got on my nerves.

( _they share a chilling laugh. Celegorm leans over and begins to write_ )

[CURUFIN]  
What are you writing?

[CELEGORM]  
Postscript. Just  
To hammer home the point.

[CURUFIN] ( _mildly suspicious_ )  
Don't write some witless drivel, please.

[CELEGORM] ( _mock saluting_ )  
I shall not disappoint.  
( _writing_ )  
If you do not appreciate  
Our good attempt to spare  
Your daughter from a dreadful fate,  
Then you shall soon despair!

[CURUFIN] ( _shaking his head_ )  
I sometimes wonder why I try.

[CELEGORM]  
This way he cannot miss  
The point.

[CURUFIN] ( _rolling his eyes_ )  
He would not anyway.  
But come, let's dispatch this.

[NARRATOR]  
We mourn the luckless messenger  
To whom was passed the mail,  
Who fears the wrath of both his lords  
And also Thingol's jail.  
For tho' the messenger is not  
At fault for this rude plot,  
Still he may be the target of  
Relentless rage, and shot.  
But Curufin and Celegorm,  
Our lords of infamy,  
Have no concern but Lúthien,  
Whom they should wish to see,  
And maybe, maybe have some luck  
In charming her to be  
Less hostile to their overtures  
And less inclined to flee.

( _Celegorm and Curufin approach; they see Lúthien sitting by her doorway, talking to Huan_ )

[CELEGORM] ( _to Curufin_ )  
Wait, Huan! Huan! come back! over here!

( _Neither Lúthien nor Huan looks up, pretending Celegorm does not exist_ )

[CELEGORM]  
Hey! Huan, boy! ( _whistles_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _elbowing him_ )  
Shh! Shut up!

[CELEGORM] ( _hissing_ )  
What is she doing with my dog?

[LÚTHIEN] ( _to Huan, giving him ear scratches_ )  
You're such a darling pup.  
You are, aren't you? It's sweet of you  
To keep me company  
And listen to my stories of  
My woe and misery.

[CURUFIN] ( _to Celegorm_ )  
He comforts her. This is of use.  
If Huan's still true to you,  
Then we may see and hear through him  
What Lúthien plans to do.

[CELEGORM] ( _showing an unfortunate foresight_ )  
I am unsettled by the bond  
That seems to bring them close.  
I think Huan may change loyalties;  
Of late he's been morose.

[CURUFIN]  
Of late? from when?

[CELEGORM]  
Since Lúthien  
Was brought in from the Plain.

[CURUFIN]  
But not when we condemned our king  
To evil, death, and pain?

[CELEGORM] ( _mild surprise_ )  
No, I think not.

[CURUFIN] ( _relief_ )  
Then all is well.  
For soon he shall forget  
This fleeting anger 'gainst your acts  
In face of other threats.  
For Oromë the Hunter's hounds  
Are not the faint of heart,  
And that he gifted you with Huan  
Means you should never part.  
Now quiet; let us watch, observe  
How Lúthien behaves,  
So we may trap her ere the dirt  
Is packed on Beren's grave.

( _they stand, pretending not to exist, watching Lúthien and Huan_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _continuing to pet Huan_ )  
Oh, Huan, if only you had met  
My love, my Beren bold,  
For then you would have loved him as  
The dragons love their gold—  
But not as jealously, for he,  
Dorthonion's finest son,  
Was to all living things—be they  
Green plants beneath the sun,  
Or birds who sing and fly so free,  
Or hounds who run the wood—  
Who do not serve the Evil One,  
A friend so true and good.  
( _lamenting_ )  
They should have known he's hurt enough,  
Those gods who out there dwell  
Upon their shores of pearls, and had  
Cruel Anguish bid farewell  
To him. But they did nothing. Was  
Dorthonion not enough?  
Was losing kin, and home, and hope  
To Morgoth not enough?  
For then he won this ill-starred love  
And had it snatched from him,  
And now for love he meets a doom  
Not earned, with laughter grim!  
Had we not loved, he would not have  
Come to this evil fate!  
Perhaps then he would have been spared  
This madness ruled by hate!

( _Huan whines, ears drooping. Lúthien sighs and scratches them_ )

[LÚTHIEN]  
Yet had we not loved, fierce and glad,  
From whence would come this joy?  
From whence would come this glowing warmth  
That nothing can destroy?  
Oh, Huan, if only you had seen  
My love on that first night:  
A weary, wild wanderer  
Beneath full Tilion's light!  
He'd heard my song and seen my dance,  
Called 'Fair Tinúviel!'  
And sought me through the woods despite  
My mother Melian's spell!

[CELEGORM] ( _meant for Curufin, but audible to Lúthien_ )  
A little creepy, don't you find?

[LÚTHIEN] ( _annoyed, under her breath_ )  
No more than offering  
Your so-called aid, which seemingly  
Would stand for kidnapping!  
( _continuing to Huan_ )  
I feared him then—unjustly! for  
He’s gentler than a deer,  
And fiercer than a wolf in war  
Against the Lord of Fear.  
And he did always hold his bond  
And was of intent pure,  
Unlike some Elves I shall not name  
Who use as gold-tipped lure  
The pledges they have no intent  
To keep. ( _again lamenting_ ) And then my dear,  
My love, my Beren bold, did swear  
An oath of woe and fear.  
For honour, love; in anger did  
He swear to pay the price—  
Whatever price—that for my hand  
The king thought would suffice.  
( _anger_ )  
And for this madness Thingol dragged  
The dearest, fairest son  
Of Finwë's house—yea, Finrod who  
Foresaw this being spun  
By Doom, by Fate, whatever name—  
Into this tragedy!

( _Both Celegorm and Curufin flinch minutely at the mention of Finrod. Huan growls_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _petting him_ )  
Ai, calm, my hound. But I think that  
I shall not ever see  
My love again before the world  
Is broken and remade,  
And then perhaps may reunite  
The warrior and the maid.  
( _smiling sadly_ )  
Like Aegnor then, my kinsman who  
Loved Andreth in their time…  
But we are parted; my love dies for  
His one and greatest crime:  
The fact that he had dared to love.

( _Lúthien's eyes grow distant and her smile fades. Huan whines in sympathy. She summons up another weak smile_ )

[LÚTHIEN]  
Then I shall wait, kind hound,  
Until the light of Arda Healed.

[CELEGORM] ( _near tears_ )  
Let's go. ( _to Huan_ ) See you around. ( _exit_ )

( _Huan ignores him, opting to stare up at Lúthien with big sad eyes_ )

[CURUFIN] ( _after Celegorm_ )  
Where are you going?

[CELEGORM] ( _upset_ )  
Somewhere. Out.

( _Curufin sighs and reluctantly follows his brother_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _drying her tears, suddenly businesslike_ )  
If I am to escape,  
I'll need my cloak. With it, I can  
Enchant, or change my shape  
Enough that I will not be stopped.  
That something you can do?

( _Huan nods and makes an assenting sound_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _smiling gratefully_ )  
Yes! Thank you, Huan! ( _after a moment_ ) You look as if  
You're plotting something too.

( _Huan nudges closer to Lúthien, humming contentedly at her ear scratches_ )

[LÚTHIEN] ( _playful_ )  
Fine, keep your secrets. Don't reveal  
Your plots to anyone.  
( _contemplative_ )  
I miss the winds, and stars, but more  
My love's smile like the sun.

( _Both she and Huan look up at the sight of someone else coming toward them. It is Celebrimbor_ )

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _tentative_ )  
My lady, if you'll pardon me?  
I mean no harm to you.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _about to refuse, then frowning_ )  
You… you're not Curufin. All right.  
What are you here to do?

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
I'm Celebrimbor.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _narrowing her eyes_ )  
Ah. His son?

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
Indeed. But worry not,  
For I do not agree with how  
He schemes and brews his plots.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Plots, as opposed to wine.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
Indeed.  
( _at her continuing suspicion_ )  
I swear—( _wincing_ ) no oaths!—I mean  
No harm, nor am I here to spy.  
In these halls I have seen  
My father and his folk forsake  
Our king. Do you know why?  
( _at Lúthien's raised eyebrow_ )  
For— _power_. There. I've said it now.  
The pow'r they sought to buy  
With Finrod's blood. They thought to take  
Control of Nargothrond,  
The mightiest of Elven realms  
Through Finrod's fearful bond,  
For it had, in its waking, called  
Their own from slumber deep.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _unforgiving_ )  
So they committed treason.

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _wincing_ )  
Yes.

[LÚTHIEN]  
And now pretend to weep  
For Felagund, their 'fallen king.'  
All while they seal his fate.  
How could they? show their king, their host,  
Their _kinsman_ but their hate!

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _helplessly_ )  
The Oath drives them.

[LÚTHIEN]  
As it does all,  
Leading us to our dooms.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
Nor shall it stop until we all  
Lie dead inside our tombs.

[LÚTHIEN]  
You speak well, son of Curufin.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
I speak only the truth.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Indeed, and you would know, no doubt  
Tho' you were but a youth  
When Fëanor and all his sons  
Swore that thrice-damnèd vow.  
What, do you think, will happen when  
Your king returns home? how  
Think you your people will react  
To know he was betrayed  
To hoped-for death by those who swore  
To him an oath of aid  
And loyalty in time of need;  
And then instead repaid  
His kindness with their cunning guile  
For they proposed to trade  
His life for pow'r, his blood for vows  
That call the darkness down?  
Will Nargothrond suppose this worth  
The price of Finrod's crown?

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _wincing_ )  
I hope they won't. But when, you said,  
Not if he will return.  
What mean you? I had thought he had  
No hope one could discern.

[LÚTHIEN]  
I'm going to bring your king back to  
Rule in his rightful place.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
But Námo's will cannot be stopped.  
His Doom we must all face.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Well, Námo's never met my will.

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _that thing you do when you don't know how to respond_ )  
If Felagund returns…  
I think the tide shall 'gainst the sons  
Of Fëanor then turn.  
I think that Finrod—rightfully—  
May banish them from here.

[LÚTHIEN]  
And if he does, what shall you do?

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _bitter_ )  
I think that much is clear:  
I'll go with them. For I stood by  
And feared to speak out while  
My kin turned Finrod from his own  
Gates, to death in exile.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Well, many others feared as you  
Did. Should they also be  
Exiled and banished from these halls?  
Of course you shall be free  
To do as you think to be right,  
But I would counsel you:  
Your father's sins are not your own.

[CELEBRIMBOR]  
Easier to say than do.

[LÚTHIEN]  
Perhaps. But still, you should not pay  
For crimes that they commit.  
I don't pretend I know your king  
Too well, but I would doubt  
That he would hand to you the blame  
Unearned, and turn you out.

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _muttering_ )  
But hard to show my face here with  
Such kin as I must claim.  
( _louder, that thing when you want to escape an awkward conversation_ )  
But I should go before those kin  
Come calling me by name.

[LÚTHIEN]  
I wish you well.

[CELEBRIMBOR] ( _à la 'peace be with you / and also with you'_ )  
And you as well.  
I hope you have some luck  
In your ambitions to escape  
This plight where you are stuck.

[NARRATOR]  
Now night has fallen on the realm  
Of Lúthien's stone-walled jail.  
Without her cloak to amplify  
Her song, she must but fail  
To break the spell that holds her in  
These quarters till she yield  
And give her hand to Celegorm  
Or else fore'er be sealed  
Inside these rooms. But lo, the sound  
Of swift feet in the dark  
Reaches her ears, and then comes Huan  
Rushing toward his mark!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _relief_ )  
Oh, Huan, dear Huan! you came for me!  
( _noticing what he carries and taking it_ )  
What's this? O noble soul!  
My cloak! How did you come by this?  
Don't answer; now our goal  
Is well in sight! ( _singing_ ) Now strength of stars  
And winds and Doriath's elms,  
I call on thee to break the bonds  
That hold me in this realm!  
Now break the spell and bring the light  
Of that we hold most dear,  
The lamps of Elbereth to shine  
And rend these chains of fear!  
Ha! Curufin, you think you can  
Defeat me with your guile,  
But I am Lúthien, and I will  
Destroy you with a smile;  
For tho' I am of Thingol's blood,  
So too am I the child  
Of Melian the Golden Witch,  
A spirit of the wild!  
These walls of stone can't hold me in,  
Not when I'm meant to be  
A force of wind and star and sun  
And greatest of all: free!

( _the doorway shimmers and sparks of light radiate out from the centre. Lúthien cautiously reaches out a hand to touch it, and to her delight it goes through_ )

[HUAN] ( _thrilled to finally have lines_ )  
My lady, follow me, for I  
Have knowledge of the paths  
That run in secret through these halls,  
First carved for when the wrath  
Of Morgoth's spies should come upon  
The realm of Nargothrond.  
Now I will lead you through the dark  
To Narog's rush beyond!

[LÚTHIEN] ( _dumbfounded_ )  
You… talk.

[HUAN]  
And we must make great haste  
If we are to evade  
The pursuit of my former lord  
Who shall not be delayed  
In noticing your absence and  
Preparing to give chase.

[LÚTHIEN]  
I—well, all right. And once outside  
I'll to the northlands race.  
The Wizard's Isle where lies my love  
And Finrod's friends in chains.

( _Huan leads her out by a path whose walls are streaked with red paint. Finrod does not seem to have noticed, at the time of its construction, that red streaks on the walls are not exactly comforting when one is trying to escape. They come out onto the banks of the Narog_ )

[LÚTHIEN]  
To east my home; to north my love;  
To west the Guarded Plain;  
Ai, thank you, Huan! I don't know how  
I ever could repay  
Your noble deed in bringing me  
To liberty this day!  
I hope your master will not be  
Too wrathful once he learns  
Your part in helping me escape  
Upon your swift return.

[HUAN]  
I won't return. I'll go with you  
To face the Wizard's pow'r.  
Foretold this was by Námo's Sight  
And now has come the hour.  
Now climb upon my back, and I  
Shall bear you to the north,  
And fight for you, my lady, and  
Yours, from this moment forth.

[LÚTHIEN] ( _in wonder_ )  
Huan… thank you, thank you, noble hound,  
For much you stand to lose  
If this precarious venture fails,  
And I would not accuse  
You of faintheartedness if you  
Had chosen to remain;  
But thank you! Huntsman, speed us north  
To rend our people's chains!

( _she climbs upon his back and they ride off into the night_ )

[NARRATOR]  
Alas! sly Curufin did not  
Account for loyalty!  
For his betrayal of his king  
Did make an enemy!  
And now dear Lúthien and her hound  
Fly northward with the speed  
Of ones possessed, through plain and wood  
To meet the desp'rate need  
Of Beren and King Felagund,  
Tho' it may be too late  
To save the faithful ten—or e'en  
Fair Finrod from their fate!  
But while there's hope, there's faith and fire  
That burns hot through the night,  
And shall win battles more than e'en  
A Gondolin blade bright!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel kinda bad for celegorm and curufin. on the one hand, they're pieces of work. but on the other, how much can you actually say it's their fault when a cursed oath is driving their every action? (i blame them. a Lot bc of maglor's 'we shall do evil in the breaking and in the keeping, but less so in the breaking' or something along those lines, proving that they have a considerable amount of agency. all the same. love can drive people to do terrible things.)
> 
> comments and kudos welcome!! thank you for reading!! (come find me on tumblr @[fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino)!)
> 
> note: once i go back to school in september, updates will be less frequent. i'll aim for once every two weeks or so, but no guarantee--especially with university applications coming up... thank you all for following this fic!! <3


	9. Canto IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finrod, edrahil, and beren in sauron's clutches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'sauron's clutches' sjffsfsjfjsjs that just made me have the oddest image of sauron clutching his pearls, scandalized at... i don't know. the brain functions in odd ways after eight hours of math. show of hands, who remembers/is doing solving polynomials with factor theorem? long division of polynomials? ap calc is fucking me over yall
> 
> thank you for your patience!! and here, the next chapter of the lay of leithian! will anyone die? i don't know! you tell me! warning for a whole lot of people talking after they're supposed to die :)

[NARRATOR]  
But even Huan and Lúthien with  
All speed can't conquer Time;  
And even as they race northward  
We hear the warning chime  
Of Námo's steady march, which warns  
That numbered are the hours  
Of Finrod Felagund inside  
The prison of his tow’r.  
Now three remain alive as yet  
Inside this dreary tomb,  
Waiting for Þauron's verdict of  
Death to come through the gloom:  
First Edrahil, the faithful one  
Who followed Finrod here  
For loyalty, to meet Death in  
This place of wrath and tears;  
Then luckless Beren, who for love  
Was sentenced to this Hell,  
And Finrod fair, whose fatal flaw  
Was that he loved too well.

[SAURON] ( _go all-out with the dramatic goth look_ )  
Wise Noldo, do you not think you  
Have wronged your friends enough?  
Think you that they deserve to die  
In torment as you bluff  
That you have not the secret of  
Your errand in your heart?

[FINROD] ( _having been through the wringer_ )  
Deceiver, you shall never get  
From me the smallest part  
Of our purpose in these lands,  
No matter what you do.

[SAURON]  
Is that an invitation, then,  
To do my worst to you?

[FINROD] ( _dryly_ )  
Well, you could always let us go,  
You know, and set us free.

[SAURON]  
That's boring. No, if you won't tell  
Then I fear that the three  
Of you shall sadly be reduced  
To lonely, mournful two.

( _Sauron looks to Edrahil meaningfully. Edrahil sighs and looks to Finrod, who is struggling in his bonds._ )

[FINROD] ( _if not for Sauron's magic, his voice would have rent the walls of the tower_ )  
You can't have him, you creature with  
No heart, no honour, who  
Would torment so an innocent—

[SAURON] ()  
No Elf who passes through  
My lands is innocent, young lord.  
He chose to follow you;  
In doing so, he made his bed—  
Or grave, I do suppose—  
And now will sleep in it. And then  
Of course, there's you, who chose  
His death through your insistence on  
Remaining silent. So  
Who is at fault? I think both you  
And I the answer know.

[FINROD] ( _trembling with rage_ )  
You lie, Deceiver!

[SAURON]  
Call me what  
You will, but I shall grant  
You and your friend my mercy if  
His life you do supplant  
With just the outlines of the deed  
That brought your spirits here.

( _Finrod looks like he is seriously debating this._ )

[EDRAHIL] ( _to Finrod_ )  
No. It may buy some little time  
But he will not adhere  
To any terms you take.

[FINROD] ( _despondent_ )  
I know.  
There's no way out of this.  
But Edrahil, had I the chance—

[EDRAHIL]  
I know. And I shall miss  
Our friendship.

[FINROD]  
I will too, my friend.

[SAURON] ( _disappointed_ )  
So then you choose his death.  
Perhaps you are the heartless, for  
You'll watch his final breath  
And see the life-light leave his eyes  
For you refused to trade  
A word to save his life, and for  
That soon he shall have paid!

( _Finrod looks away and says nothing._ )

[NARRATOR]  
Now Edrahil to Finrod looks;  
A moment they two share,  
Of complex, searching sympathy  
But not yet black despair.  
An optimist and realist walked  
Together hand in hand;  
A diplomat and soldier who  
Each other understand:  
Two paths they walk, whose limbs diverge  
Yet briefly meet as one—  
One fate, tho' not one Judgment—at  
Their friendship's setting sun.  
One who has Seen, two who shall pay  
For love the highest price:  
What symmetry in Love's demand  
For tragic sacrifice!

[EDRAHIL] ( _smiling slightly_ )  
I loved you well.

[FINROD]  
Too well, I fear.

[EDRAHIL]  
‘Too well?’ There’s no such thing.  
There’s only love, and joy in it,  
Whatever Fate may bring.

[SAURON] ( _mocking_ )  
‘What Fate may bring.’ Beware the wolf!  
( _to Finrod_ )  
Now watch, my stubborn lord:  
For faithful has he been to you  
And here is his reward.

( _The wolf does its job, and after a short while retreats, leaving Edrahil mortally wounded._ )

[EDRAHIL] ( _weakly_ )  
I would have followed you to the  
Ends of the earth, my friend.  
I'm only sorry that this is  
The way it had to end.

[FINROD]  
My faithful captain—save your strength—

[EDRAHIL]  
I see the sightlines fade.  
On the horizon, rose-red Dawn,  
Bright, bold, and unafraid.

[FINROD] ( _gentle_ )  
What else, my friend?

[EDRAHIL]  
The song of birds  
And dance of rustling leaves.  
That country to which I had said  
Farewell, I now perceive:  
A fair land of green rolling hills  
Beneath a swift sunrise,  
Where red the leaves turn in the fall  
And free the raven flies;  
Where poppies grow on riverbanks  
Next to the rushing foam.  
I wonder: is this what it means  
To finally come home?  
But home means kin, and I have none—

[FINROD] ( _fiercely_ )  
Then I'll be yours, my friend,  
My captain of the guard, for now  
And ever, till the end  
Of Arda, till the world collapse  
To Time's eternal sieve.  
Forgive me. For my damnèd pride—

[EDRAHIL]  
There's nothing to forgive.  
I've no regrets. I would have gone  
To Angband's halls with you,  
My friend, my brother—and my king.

[FINROD]  
I know. That you would do,  
And this already you have done,  
Followed my rash command.

[EDRAHIL]  
I took a sacred oath I now  
Fulfill to lord and land.  
And heartfelt love and loyalty  
That Doom cannot conceal.

[FINROD]  
Never was there a truer friend  
Than you, my Edrahil.

[EDRAHIL] ( _the light fading from his eyes_ )  
Farewell, my brother. Whither you  
May go, may you find light.

[FINROD]  
Yet there shall be no grave for him  
In this place void of light;  
No honour but the memory  
Of friend and chain and tow'r.  
Yet friends shall suffer his same fate  
Within the falling hour,  
And then shall be the memory  
Of only steel and stone.  
Then who shall tell of what it is  
To fall before the throne  
Of Mirk, whose teeth of broken glass  
Gleam white of pearly bone?  
Then who shall light the candles that  
Illuminate the stone  
Which would have marked the place of him  
Who sleeps inside that grave?  
Then who shall tell of Edrahil  
The faithful and the brave?

[SAURON]  
Perhaps you might, if perchance  
You tell me of the quest  
That brought you here. A word is all  
The price that I request.

[FINROD]  
To be a songbird, and have let  
Him sacrifice in vain  
His life? No, faithful to my oath  
And friend I shall remain.

[SAURON] ( _sharp_ )  
What oath mean you, young foolish Elf?  
What oath? Speak! I command!  
( _at Finrod's silence, disappointed_ )  
Then very well. Watch as the one  
You guard dies by your hand.  
( _manic_ )  
Beware the wolf!

[FINROD] ( _aside_ )  
Not Beren, no,  
Not Barahir's bold son!  
( _to Sauron_ )  
Spare him!

[SAURON]  
Hm. Do you plan to talk?  
No? Then I think we're done.  
Now say goodbye to him. Ta-ta!

( _The wolf growls._ )

[FINROD]  
He has not what you seek!

[SAURON]  
Precisely why he meets his death,  
For of this he can't speak.  
But you can, O cruel Elven lord,  
For you hold all the cards.

[FINROD] ( _to Beren_ )  
I'm sorry, Beren, but should he  
Discover what I guard  
Or learn my name, then I should doom  
My people to his pow'r.  
Forgive me. For I hear the step  
Of Mandos in this hour.

[NARRATOR]  
But Beren bold in silence sits,  
In soul sad and subdued;  
To him he thinks, 'Would there were not  
'Twixt Elves and Men this feud;  
Would that the sons of Fëanor  
Had not then deemed their jewels  
To be of greater worth than lives,  
That they had sent to duel  
The Sorcerer a ragtag band  
Of twelve, for power's sake;  
Would Finrod's people's oaths of faith  
To him they did not break!'  
The memory of Lúthien  
Now seems more dream than real,  
A vision of a moonlit maid  
That shatters on the steel  
Of Beren's chains. Yet Lúthien lives!  
And rides 'neath sun and moon  
To save him, tho' he knows it not,  
Before this afternoon!

[BEREN]  
You have no choice, my lord. You can't  
Exchange your folk for me.

[FINROD]  
No, I cannot. Yet I have sworn  
To him who set me free  
That I should guard your life as mine,  
No matter what betide.  
Yet I have sworn too to my folk  
That 'gainst the rising tide  
I shall not break my faith with them,  
Tho' they may break with me.  
( _wry, aside_ )  
So see you? I'll say Mandos has  
A sense of comedy.

( _The wolf prowls around them. Beren looks mildly annoyed, a contrast to Finrod, who is panicking._ )

[FINROD] ( _determination coming over his face; aside_ )  
Two oaths I swore that I shall keep  
Till I come to the Hall  
In which I shall be judged: that while  
I live, so Beren shall  
Survive; and also too that while  
I live, so Nargothrond  
Shall stay a hidden city. And  
With this I keep my bond  
To both my friend and to my realm:  
To break free from my chains,  
Bringing all pow'r I have in me  
To bear 'gainst this domain  
Of evil. I shall die as I  
Had lived outside this jail,  
My bonds kept, fighting 'gainst my fate.  
( _not aside_ )  
Dead Elves can tell no tales.

[BEREN]  
What?

[NARRATOR]  
What, indeed! But Finrod gives  
No answer to his friend,  
But watches Þauron's hungry wolf,  
Preparing to defend  
The one he swore he would protect.  
And as the wolf draws near,  
He looks with blue eyes fell and fey  
With fire filled, not fear,  
And with a mighty crack the chains  
That held his limbs are snapped!  
Now free, he leaps toward the wolf,  
Seeking to keep it trapped  
In some small corner, far from where  
Poor Beren looks, aghast!  
Yet this wolf is of Þauron's hate  
And holds its rival fast  
Against the floor with wrathful paws,  
Its sharp teeth gleaming white.  
But Finrod fights! with all the speed  
And all the reckless might  
Of one who can't afford to lose  
His last, most hopeless duel.  
And they shall tell that Felagund  
Prevailed against the cruel,  
Bloodthirsty creature on that day;  
Fought tooth and nail, and won—  
But pay he shall, and dearly so  
For Barahir's bold son.

[BEREN]  
My lord—

[FINROD]  
No. Listen first, for I  
Have precious little time.  
I sense that by some working of  
The threads of Arda’s rhyme  
Your time is almost up—and yet  
Not so. You have a part  
To play, and set has been the stage  
For valour of the heart.  
And how or why I do not know,  
Not when shall come the hour,  
But you shall soon escape your doom—  
Tho’ not by your own pow’r—  
Not once but twice. And I’d guess, tho’  
‘Twas not to me revealed,  
That Lúthien flies to break your chains,  
For you she shall not yield.

[BEREN]  
But how? For Thingol would not have  
Permitted her to leave;  
He hates me! and if I am dead,  
His aim he does achieve!

[FINROD]  
I know no more than you, my friend,  
But know your lady fair  
Is crafty too like Curufin  
And, unlike him, would dare  
To face the wizard on his isle;  
And valiant is she too,  
And true of heart, like Fingon who  
His greatest deed did do  
In rescuing from Morgoth’s cliff  
Our cousin, Maedhros tall.  
( _smiling slightly_ )  
Perhaps she’ll be ‘the Fingon to  
Your Maedhros,’ as will call  
The poets when they sing of you.  
But now my time runs short.  
Have faith! for I must say goodbye  
And yield to Námo’s court  
Of judgment in the timeless halls  
Beyond the Western Sea.  
Long it shall be ere Mandos does  
His pardon grant to me;  
Perhaps in neither death or life  
Shall we e’er meet again,  
For we are judged to different fates:  
Apart are Elves and Men  
In Eru’s plans ineffable.  
But I redeem my bond.  
Farewell! may Lúthien bear you from  
This jail to th’ hills beyond!

( _Finrod goes deathly still and his eyes close._ )

[BEREN]  
My king, my lord—please, Felagund,  
Don’t go; don’t breathe your last!  
If you speak true, dear Lúthien shall  
Break the enchantments cast  
By Sauron who would hold us here!  
Hold on! hold on for her;  
If all our twelve she may not save,  
‘Least we may go with her!  
( _emotional_ )  
It’s far too soon to say goodbye!  
We’ve barely shaken hands!

[FINROD] ( _weak_ )  
Goodbyes are ne’er on time nor late  
In th’ hourglass of sand,  
But always early. Is ’t not true?  
But peace. I Saw my fate  
A century before the first  
Of Men came to my gates.

[BEREN]  
Then—

[FINROD]  
Then you came, and I did seal  
My fate. I’ve no regrets.

[BEREN]  
Well, I’ve regrets. I wish I’d not  
Called in the damnèd debt  
You owed my dad.

[FINROD] ( _surprising vehemence_ )  
Your father was  
Of kind and noble heart.  
’Twas not his fault that in this play  
Of woes I must take part.  
I chose to disregard the Doom  
Pronounced upon my folk,  
And by its curse I must abide  
And bow beneath its yoke.

[BEREN]  
You loved him.

[FINROD]  
Aye, I did. And do.

[BEREN]  
Too well.

[FINROD] ( _disagreement_ )  
Not well enough.

( _Silence._ )

[FINROD]  
Have faith.

[BEREN]  
I’ve not your faith. Nor strength.

[FINROD] ( _smiling slightly_ )  
There’s but one set of cuffs  
That shall hold you: the Gift of Men.  
( _quoting from memory_ )  
‘Which e’en the Pow’rs shall crave  
When weary grow the Ages.’ This  
Shall not become your grave.  
But I’ll go with my fellowship  
Of those who followed me.  
Farewell! and keep the faith! I go  
To rest beyond the Sea!

( _Silence. Finrod looks quite dead, not unlike Juliet in R+J—_ before the dagger.)

[BEREN] ( _overcome with grief_ )  
Farewell! farewell forever to  
The dearest, fairest son  
Of Finwë’s house! who kept his bond  
And then yet more! May sun  
And moon and stars upon him shine  
In that green country fair  
Beneath a sunrise swift! To all  
Who hear, I send my prayer!

[NARRATOR]  
And little more is there to tell  
Of this sad tale of woe  
That pauses with eleven dead  
And one alive. But tho’  
Young Beren loses hope and grieves  
For Finrod and his friends;  
And thinks unto himself that this  
Must be his wretched end,  
But rightly did the king foretell  
That death is not his fate,  
Not now in Þauron's lair to sink  
And drown in endless hate,  
For Lúthien fast approaches, not  
Losing a stitch of time!  
For history does not repeat  
But sometimes it may rhyme!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. the wolf should be two people dressed in a shitty wolf costume, crawling around and trying not to fall over.
> 
> 2\. cookies for whoever can find my shakespeare reference and guess something from it!
> 
> 3\. i want you to have no expectations for future updates. they will come, but they won't come fast--turns out my ap advanced functions (precalc for the americans) class is much harder than initially expected. which already was hard.
> 
> 4\. finrod is a mess of panic, but is Very good at projecting a look of confidence and competence. ~~like me~~
> 
> comments are always appreciated!! i know i'm very bad at replying to them, but i promise i see them and cherish them!!
> 
> come find me on tumblr @[fingolfino](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/fingolfino)!


End file.
